


She Said Shut Up and Dance With Me

by Outburst



Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Awesome Darcy Lewis, BAMF Loki, Coffee Addict Tony Stark, Darcy Feels, Darcy Has Had Enough Of Your Shit, F/M, Girls with Guns, Hate Sex, Kitchen Sex, Loki Does What He Wants, Stark Tower
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-10
Updated: 2015-02-13
Packaged: 2018-03-06 22:58:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3151517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Outburst/pseuds/Outburst
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stark Tower is a pretty decent place to work. ...When people remember her name. ...And Loki isn't in the room. ...And she isn't being shot. But yeah, pretty decent.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title song stuck with me for a long time until I had to sit down and write a silly, kinda cheesy, fast-paced story that doesn't take itself super seriously. This is the result and was super fun to write. The rest will be posted throughout the week. And if you're the type of person that enjoys a soundtrack, check out the playlist on Spotify under username outburst.ao3
> 
> Enjoy!

The sound of fingers madly pecking at corporate-issued keyboards filled the lab. Darcy and Jane had been locked in a data-entry battle for the past two hours – at least in Darcy’s mind. She wasn’t really sure if beating her own words per minute record had a subliminal effect on Jane’s, but the thought of poking her boss like that made for a small bit of entertainment. The prospect of reaching the end of the day’s workload and going home early was also a heck of a perk.

Darcy stopped to shake and massage out a hand cramp. The sudden loss of half the busy noise echoing off all the shiny surfaces was a weird change. God, maybe she’d had too much coffee. Sensitivity to noise was a side effect right?

“Darce, can you—”

“Coffee?” she interrupted, and was already out of her seat. “Definitely.”

Jane spared a glance from her screen, her mouth quirked but her eyes distracted. “Actually, I need you to check in on the Analytics people and see what the hold up on that report is.”

Darcy’s enthusiasm self-destructed. “Not to be a dick and all, but isn’t that what email is for?”

Jane stuck the remnants of that morning’s cherry Poptart into her mouth and responded around it.“You know Loki never checks his email. Or his phone.”

“Oh, he definitely does. He just ignores everything.” Darcy scowled and rifled through her purse for her cell phone and mini pocket taser. The first was for calling help, and the second was for the obvious. Loki hadn’t tried anything in the past six months, but who knew when that would change.

“Need anything else while I’m running around?”

“Coffee!”

Darcy grinned. “Well, yeah. Because I am the best underling in the world, I already knew that. Of course if you really loved me, you wouldn’t throw me at the big green crazy guy. Err, the other big green crazy guy. I actually like the first one.”

Jane smiled at her screen and lifted her chin in her favorite intern’s direction. “Thank you!”

Armed with her gadgets, Darcy made her way through the maze that was Level 6, as Stark so affectionately called their floor, and up to Level 8. She wasn’t certain she would make a bet out of it, but she was pretty sure Stark was on something awesome when he designed the research labs of the new and “improved” Stark Tower. Learning the layout of the place took about three months. She hadn’t discovered the women’s bathroom until six weeks in. Even now she commandeered the men’s room rather than hike all the way to the other end of the floor.

Level 8 had windows which was the only good thing about running these special types of errands to the Analytics lab – or as Darcy liked to call it, “The Department of I Have No Idea What I’m Doing So Let’s Poke Things With Sticks.” Personally, she thought this particular departmental assignment a hell of a light punishment for He Who Remains A Douchebag, but that was none of her business.

Darcy pushed the glass door to the Analytics lab open with her hip and arm. The Douchebag in question was leaning over something mechanical and complicated looking. From the look of intense annoyance creasing his pale face, Darcy guessed the puzzle of the day was winning. Good.

And yet she did not approach the worktable. Playing doorstop was a much better occupation as science was never worth her life.

“Jane needs that report you were supposed to send her like an hour ago.”

Loki frowned at the puzzle and didn’t visually acknowledge her. “I am quite busy enough without doing Dr. Foster’s work as well.”

 _Oh, here we go_ , Darcy thought and suppressed a sigh.

“Bullcrap. You probably had it done yesterday. Just hand it to me and I’ll be out of your hair. Better yet, just tell me where you put it, and I’ll get it myself.”

The corner of his mouth ticked up and Darcy already wanted to punch him.

“Say please.”

“No friggin’ way.”

Loki straightened and regarded her with a full on smirk. “Come now, Darlene, are there no manners to spare?”

“Darcy,” she bit out. “My name is Darcy, which you totally know.”

He waved the indiscretion away like an annoying gnat.

Darcy simply stared at him. He stared back with that little self-satisfied smirk. While she entertained herself with typing games and coffee runs, Loki found her as an abundant source of fun when tortured with petty power games. She pushed her slipping glasses back up with her middle finger.

“Uhh, am I interrupting something?”

“Dr. Banner!” Darcy turned on her Kiss Ass Smile mixed with a little Fucking Frustrated on him, making the careful man eye her with caution. “I didn't know you were back. How was Sydney?”

Bruce shifted his weight to his other foot and grabbed a long pointy tool to fiddle with. “Hot. Did Dr. Foster need something?”

“Yeah, I was just discussing with frosty the snow giant here how much she needs that report he was supposed to give her forever ago.”

“Oh, I just finished adding my notes and sent it over.” Bruce poked the alien puzzle thing with the pointy tool.

Darcy narrowed her eyes at him. The return of Loki's grin was not helping the twitch in her eye.

“Are you...covering for him?” she asked. “I swear to god if I came up here to be a punching bag for nothing—”

“Covering for who, him?” Bruce motioned to Loki with the tool and huffed a laugh. “No, not likely. I'm sorry you had to come up here for nothing, Debbie.”

Twitch. “Darcy.”

“Darcy! Sorry. Again.”

“No problem.” Darcy took a breath and let it out slowly. “OK. I'm good. See you later, Dr. Banner.”

“I find it interesting that you don't give him a lecture about getting your name wrong.”

Darcy glared at him over her shoulder. “He's terrible with names and I know what your game is, Loki.”

The Trickster opened his mouth, but was cut off by Bruce. “Knock it off already, and let the lady get on with her day.”

Loki pursed his lips. He could talk his way around plenty of people, rile them up, and shuffle the playing deck all he wanted...except where Bruce banner came in. The would-be king would rather rot away in a prison cell than risk being in the same room with a Hulked-out Dr. Banner...which was exactly why they had been stuck together in the same department.

Darcy thought it rather unfair to Bruce, but she wasn't above rubbing Loki's face into the situation. She left him with a parting “HA!”

Getting the last word in a sparring match with Loki, however juvenile, put some pep into her step. The rest of the day looked like it was going to be a good one.

 

Team meetings were the WORST. Sure, listening to Tony Stark's rambling and witticisms was always good for keeping her awake, but being in a room full of people that actually did stuff about the evil people in the world was intimidating as hell. Darcy just prided herself on taking awesome notes and not falling face first into a tray of hot coffee. She set said tray down on the conference table.

“Thanks, Doris,” Steve said with that sincere smile he was becoming famous for all over again. Damn him for being sweet and so wrong at the same time! The innocence made her feel bad about being annoyed.

“Darcy,” she corrected quietly. Mostly to herself. And definitely ignored Loki's snort. She barely managed to hold back a glare at him.

Legal pad and pen in hand, Darcy took her customary seat in Jane's chair and listened to the idle chat between Steve and Bruce. Honestly, when was the woman ever going to tear herself away from her equations and space theories long enough for a simple thirty-minute meeting?

Then again, these things usually ended up with Steve and Tony arguing about something inconsequential.

Speaking of the man of iron, Tony swept into the room late as usual. He dropped the trade-marked paper cup from his hand into the nearest trash bin mid-beeline to the coffee on the table.

“Ooh, yes! Is this Intern coffee?”

“Darcy,” she corrected, deadpan. “And yes, I did make the coffee. Just like I do every meeting. It's kind of what I do.”

“Excellent. Gold star for being consistent. Meeting adjourned!”

Steve frowned and sat up. “What? Stark, we do this for a reason. You can't just walk out before it starts!”

“Actually, I only have these things scheduled for the coffee because Pepper and Dr. Foster won't give me the Intern,” he said and noisily sipped his coffee. “Seriously, I've been considering upgrading her from Intern to Coffee Genius.”

“Uhh...thank you? Sure. We'll go with that.” Darcy could definitely roll with that.

“Is there any way we could fast forward through you two pretending to be married?” Bruce asked with a sigh and leaned back in his chair. “We actually have things to talk about. Like promising leads sorts of things.”

That was enough to get Tony to sit down. “Space things or things to be blown up?”

“Probably both.”

“Ooh! Please, go on.”

“That's all it takes?” Steve raked his fingers through his hair (which made it really hard for Darcy to not stare at his biceps – like, whoa dude, seriously??).

“Sorry, Bruce knows how to sing my song.” Tony hiked up a leg to lay over his knee and produced a bag of Sour Patch Kids from some hidden pocket. “You gotta romance me to get me to stay. Or...something. I'll have Pepper send you a FAQ list. Anyway, I believe we were talking about space and explosions?”

The rest of the meeting went on in a predictable manner: Tony continued baiting Steve, Bruce’s annoyance guided them back on topic, Natasha and Clint popped in long enough to deliver a to-the-point-but-vague report on suspicious activity, and Loki stared at the ceiling in an effort to ignore everyone. There was a glimmer of progress, however, which was nice. Darcy was happy to be able to actually bring something back to Jane.

The shout out from Tony was pretty cool too. Maybe people would start remembering her name. A girl could hope, and there was nothing wrong with a little hope.

“Iron Man totally digs my coffee-making skills,” she bragged immediately upon getting back to Level 6. “And only forty percent of the meeting was wasted by arguing! Cap even laughed at a joke I made. Today was a good day, Jane.”

“Yeah? Are there real notes for me to look at this time?” Jane asked, her head popping up over her monitor with interest.

“There are indeed!” Darcy slapped her notepad on the desk with gusto. “Fancy that, eh? I think I’m even starting to understand what science parts are relevant. How’d I do?”

The woman picked the pad up and eyeballed the notes for anything interesting. “Not bad. You’re right on this one; I’ll need to follow up with Dr. Banner tomorrow. Thanks, Darcy.”

“No problem-o.” Darcy stopped mid-step away, and turned on her heel to face her boss again with confusion. “Wait, you’re coming in tomorrow? I thought God of Beefcake-ness was visiting. Don’t you guys have two tickets to Pound Town for the weekend?”

Jane’s face flushed pink. She distracted herself with a loud, slurpy sip of coffee. The coffee was far too slurp-able today. Darcy narrowed her eyes and craned her neck to see what Jane was working on before the over-worked scientist could tab out.

“You’re not scheduled to start that set until mid-next week!” Darcy said with extreme disapproval.

“I know, but if Dr. Banner and Loki's report is correct then the integral piece to the inter-dimensional—”

“You’re the one that will have to explain to Thor that you would rather work than demonstrate the benefits of his hammer,” Darcy said with a sigh and plopped back down in her desk chair. “And if he turns those puppy eyes on me, then you are going to have a major problem.”

Jane kept her coffee mug clutched to her chest. “You wouldn’t dare. Not again. You know I can’t function without coffee.”

“Even worse.” Darcy leaned forward for dramatic effect. “I would make coffee here, bring it to everyone except you, and then I would keep Tony’s hostage until he sent out a memo saying that no one could share with you.”

Jane pursed her lips and growled. “He's just childish enough to fall for that. Damn.”

“Oh, yeah, I'm reeeally twisting your arm here.” Darcy rolled her eyes and brought up a data sheet on her screen. “Fine, I'll give you the morning. But you better believe I will use every dirty trick I have to get you out when he shows up!”


	2. Chapter 2

Thoroughly threatened by Darcy's wrath, Jane accepted her limited time in the lab the next day…after binging on work into the wee hours of the morning. Why Darcy expected anything less from her was a mystery; maybe it was the hope that a healthy balance between work and play (like, having any play at all) would somehow even out her own life. Or not. Best not to dive into that depressing stuff just yet. Bouts of self-reflection were scheduled for about two PM, right when things tended to slow down enough to make the day drag on. She was a Poli-Sci major, not Psych.

In her usual morning haze, those thirty minutes between the shit coffee bought for the work commute and the life-blood that was her special blend made at the lab, Darcy bumbled about the morning routine. Grunts were exchanged with Jane, bag was tossed at her desk, and a clean coffee pot was shoved into the machine. More care was taken with the tools of the trade. Off in the corner of the lab vigorously defended from the encroaching new and old bits of tech (seriously, Jane had a hoarding problem), the Holy Land lay.

Coffee beans stood like proud and perky soldiers in their hand decorated tins (Martha Stewart, eat your heart out). Stainless steel measuring spoons gleamed in the fluorescent lighting on their wall rack, ready for the attack. Darcy counted the correct number of beans from each tin into small porcelain bowls. The beans from each bowl were ground separately and replaced into their respective bowls. Darcy pulled the last specialty coffee filter out of the plastic bag they were stored in.

_Hmm. Better pick more up on the way home or else Monday morning is going to be ass._

She checked the water filter, spooned out a precise amount of ground beans from each bowl, and then left the machine to do its work while she booted up her desktop. Nothing of consequence was on the to do list for the morning, and Facebook only teased that self-reflection business that she wanted to avoid. The timer on the coffee machine dinged at the perfect moment to derail those thoughts. The full pot was left to sit for the few minutes it took to collect and clean out their mugs from the previous day. Salvation was finally poured in and delivered to a red-eyed Jane.

The scientist accepted the mug with reverent hands and inhaled the aroma like a crack addict dives into their last stash. Darcy decided to be lenient enough to let her enjoy that first blissful mouthful before laying in.

"So did you sleep here last night?" she asked with faux innocence after indulging in her own need.

Jane avoided her gaze and sipped her coffee. "No. …I went down to that diner on the corner for breakfast and came back."

Darcy opened her mouth to scold, and then stopped. "Damn. Now I want pancakes."

"JARVIS, have the kitchen scratch whatever they were making before and send me a ridiculously large stack of pancakes."

_"Banana, chocolate chip, blueberry, or the illustrious Berry Surprise, sir?"_

"Yes."

"Mr. Stark!" Jane hastily pushed back her chair and stood up, half in surprise at the man's sudden appearance and half in panic.

Looking as scraggly as Darcy had felt upon waking up that morning, Tony barely gave either of the women a glance and made a beeline for the coffee.

"How did you…?" A lightbulb came on in her head (or else the coffee was starting to work). Darcy scanned the ceiling and corners until she spotted the camera. How had she not noticed that was there before? Or was Tony Stark crazily single-minded enough to install a camera for the sole reason of coffee reconnaissance?

She eyed the way he poured and handled the borrowed mug. His body language would have been more appropriate if he were relapsing. Yes. He was definitely that crazy.

Jane and Darcy exchanged a look and shrugged at one another.

"Rough morning?" Darcy asked, and mouthed _What?_ at Jane for the paper ball bullseye to the face.

The grunt response was a familiar language. Tony shuffled his way towards the door, ignoring their stares.

"I want that mug back."

She dodged Jane's throw that time. "Mug thievery is a serious offense, Jane!"

Jane sighed in exasperation and sat down when Tony finally managed it out of the lab. With the mug. There was no way they were getting that back.

He popped his head back in, startling them again. "She lied, by the way. Definitely slept here."

Darcy rounded on Jane. "Woman, if I wasn't so annoyed that he's apparently got audio in here too, I'd put the hurt on you!"

 

The irritation at Jane and Tony vanished the second Thor came into the lab in his big, boisterous, Asgardian way, all smiles and giant hugs for the woman he loved and her odd little human friend. He could wrap both of them up in one arm and lift them off the ground if he wanted to. Darcy let them have their sweet reunion before claiming her turn for a hug; the Thor fantasies just kept her entertained and patient. Easier to oogle when he was distracted.

"Darcy!" he exclaimed, genuinely happy to see her, which was nice. So few people had that carefree way about them. Especially if they had a psychotic brother to deal with on the side.

Thor thrust a long, vertical-sitting box at her. There was dark-colored twine tying it closed, and an odd yet very pleasant smell emanating.

"For you, my friend! 'Tis a treasure from home that I hope you will keep well."

Holy shit. A present? Darcy took the box from him, wondering what it could be. The thing was mildly heavy and felt more solid on the bottom.

"Uh, thank you!" she said, confused about the randomness. "What's the occasion? Not that I don't love gifts. I freaking love gifts. Did I say thank you yet because random gifts are pretty awesome."

Perplexed, Thor's brow knitted. "Is it not your birthday today?" he asked, and pointed at the calendar on the wall. "The large red circle around this Midgardian date seemed significant. Jane spoke of today being the anniversary of your birth."

Jane gasped. "Oh my god, I totally forgot. Darcy, I'm so sorry!"

Darcy looked at the calendar. Yep, there was a big ole red circle around the day's date, and that was definitely her birthdate the last time she checked. She laughed and set the box down on her desk.

"No sweat, Jane. No idea how, but I completely forgot too. Actually, I don't think I even knew what month it was until now."

Jane's fretting was interrupted by a grin. "And you say I work too much. You forgot your own birthday!"

"Ha! Yeah, you're not off the hook, lady. Thor, your woman slept here last night," she said and smirked when Jane pursed her lips in preparation of Thor's thunder on the subject. "You should let her know how bad that is for her health and why she needs to chill the hell out. In detail. Ready, go!"

"Jane, is this true?" he asked with a mild frown.

With Darcy's mood much improved, she ignored their domestic issues and snipped the twine that was holding her gift hostage. The sides of the box fell away to reveal a flower in a rather nice white ceramic pot. The flower itself was one hell of an accomplishment by nature. It looked like a cross between a peony and a water lily without the lily pad. The petals were long and…kind of fluffy-looking. The pink and indigo hue with the golden yellow stamens reminded her of a sunset. Now free of the box, the delicate scent of the flower became more apparent. For some reason, Darcy felt a little warmer and refreshed like she was a cat just woken up from a long nap in a sunbeam.

"Whoa."

Jane paused in her verbal self-defense to stare. Darcy nodded emphatically. "Right? Your boyfriend just brought me an awesome space flower! Space flower is best flower, I have decreed it. Nice job, big guy."

Thor beamed. "This flower came from my mother's favorite garden. There is a specific breed of bee that uses it to make particularly delicious honey."

"Damn, I gotta get me some bees…"

"I am glad you like it, Darcy. I did not know if you would prefer a Midgardian flower like those pictured on your date wall."

"Date wall…?" Jane looked around and then grinned. "Calendar. That's a calendar."

"I like date wall better. Sounds promising," Darcy said, and shuffled things around on her desk to make the perfect spot for the flower pot. "Depending on your outlook, at least."

Her entries on that sort of date wall were sorely lacking. Nope! Not going to think about that. She didn't need a man in her life as a fixture, but a one night stand or several couldn't hurt. First, she would have to actually go out somewhere. _Lightbulb!_

"We should - ahhh, nuts. Nevermind. You guys have plans already."

The lightbulb was dashed to the ground. _Boooo._

At least Jane looked suitably apologetic. "Sorry, Darce. Next time? I'll bring the cupcakes and wine."

Darcy was in the mood for over-priced drinks and dancing, but cupcakes and wine were never a bad idea. "Yeah, all right. Text me when you guys are free. We'll teach Thor about board games and cheat at Scrabble."

_That sounded really old-womanish…but I do love Scrabble. And obnoxious bars. Augh, I am too young for a mid-life crisis!_

"Ah, perhaps it is time I teach you about the games of skill from my world," Thor said, looking entertained by the idea.

_"Mr. Stark requests your presence in the twenty-second level meeting room, Thor."_

The sudden disembodied voice nearly gave Darcy a heart attack. Jane and Thor looked unsettled as well.

"Are you kidding me?" she exclaimed and lifted her hands in the air as she glared at the camera eying them from above. "JARVIS? What the hell?"

_"My apologies, Miss Lewis."_

The wry tone gave her the creeps. JARVIS was way too smart for an AI butler.

"JARVIS, is anything wrong?" Jane asked. "We're about to get out of here. If there's another alien invasion, it's going to have to wait."

"Damn, when did you suddenly get all bossy-pants?"

_"No, Miss Foster, there are zero emergencies that require the attention of the Avengers at this time."_

"That is a relief. This is an informal request?" Thor asked.

_"Yes. Mr. Stark hopes that you will join the other Avengers that are currently in house today for a short reunion."_

"Will my brother be attending?"

Darcy thought his tone was kept carefully neutral. How interesting.

_"No. Loki will be attending to urgent business elsewhere in the building."_

"Knowing Mr. Stark, I'll bet the urgent business is completely made up," Darcy added.

_"You are not entirely wrong, Miss Lewis."_

"I will accept this invitation," Thor said over Darcy's chuckling, and doing his best to hold back his amused smile.

"Do you want me to wait here?" Jane asked.

Thor shook his head no. "I would welcome the escort. This tower is worse than a labyrinth."

_"If you wish to avoid Loki, I suggest bypassing the eighth floor."_

"Thank you, JARVIS," Jane said, and spared a smile for the AI out of habit. "Well, we're off then. You going to be okay on your own?"

Darcy waved her concern away. "I've been here without your supervision before, mom."

"That's not what I meant, Darcy."

"I happen to be even more of a grown woman today, so yes I will be perfectly fine. But I do demand a birthday hug from both of you," she said and shook a finger at them. "And the rest of the day off."

Jane laughed and hugged her friend. "Seriously, I'll buy you lunch next week to make up for forgetting."

Thor wrapped his generous wingspan around both of them and grinned at their laughter. "We shall feast belatedly in your honor next we meet, Darcy."

"Ok, ok! The hug quota has been met for the day." She felt pretty content all things considered. "You two crazy kids get out of here and have fun. I'm going to take my space flower home and try not to kill it."

The afternoon went quite well, as far as sudden birthdays went. Darcy came home to a gift basket of top shelf liquor and chocolate "from" Tony Stark.

She grinned at the polite _Happy Birthday_ on the card and shook her head. "Not bad, Pepper."

After clearing a windowsill, Darcy arranged her gift and admired the beauty it added to the cramped and disorganized chaos of her apartment. The place was filled with colorful things, but the flower added a touch of something. Calm amongst the storm, perhaps. The scent was already perfuming the air and making her smile.

A bottle of rum and a bar of dark chocolate were liberated from Tony's gift basket. Darcy mixed herself a cocktail, queued up her favorite show on Netflix, and settled in with her latest knitting project. While the hat slowly took shape between sips of rum and coke, Darcy asked herself if this was what growing into adulthood felt like.

_Eh. I guess it's not terrible._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang, man! This thing is getting a great response from you guys. Thanks to everyone leaving Kudos, comments, and generally enjoying the fun. :)
> 
> This one is a bit short, but you'll be getting a slightly longer one tomorrow.

Darcy woke up early Saturday morning against her will. Foggy and mildly hung over, it took a few heart pounding seconds to realize what the hell was going on; her body was thoroughly objecting to the unnatural state of being awake before noon on a weekend. She recognized the racket her phone was making as the ring tone for the Shit Is Hitting the Fan email alert.

_Oh god, Pirate Virus was definitely the wrong ring tone for that. Past Darcy, why are you such a dick?_

With a groan, Darcy grabbed the phone and squinted at the screen.

"…extremely volatile readings over Argentina…possible human attempt at inter-dimensional wormhole by HYDRA…"

Darcy sat up and re-read the report with an adrenaline-cleared head. If this really was HYDRA, there was going to be some serious shit going down.

The email was overtaken by Jane's photo popping up as a call notification. Darcy hit answer before the second ring.

"DARCY! Did you read that email blast?"

"Yeah. I'm getting dressed right now. Where are you?"

"At my place with Thor. He's still asleep, I thought I should…I don't know. Make toast or something and force him to eat it before he leaves."

There was panic rising in her voice. Darcy looked at the ceiling and ran a hand through her morning snarls.

_She's trying to not freak out. Every time her intergalactic boy toy comes around, trouble pops up, and he has to go back home to deal with bullshit. If he wasn't worth it, I'd say Jane's love life has worse luck than mine._

"OK, you do that. I'll high-tail it to the tower ahead of you guys and let you know if this is anything what's left of SHIELD can't handle," Darcy said and began grabbing random pieces of clothing from her 'Mostly Still Clean' laundry pile on the floor. "Sound good?"

"Yes. Yes, that's a good plan," Jane said, sounding bolstered by having logic to follow. "Thank you, Darcy. I owe you like a week's worth of lunch now."

"No sweat, boss lady." Darcy smiled and pulled her jeans on over yesterday's underwear. "You know I got your back."

 

On the train ride to Stark Tower her phone kept blowing up with updates. Jane forwarded an emergency meeting invite and Darcy had to stop herself from jiggling her leg up and down. Anxiety began to mount higher. The commute seemed to take longer than usual, and the car was full with perky morning people ready for a day of shopping and errands, completely oblivious to the storm brewing. She wasn't sure who would be at the meeting. Was this a sciencey thing or an Avengers thing?

Darcy made it to the meeting with two minutes to spare, and very conscious of the stress sweat putting up shop under her breasts. The usuals were in attendance, except for Tony of course.

"Is Jane not coming?" Bruce asked, his brow knitted with a frown.

Darcy shook her head and hastily piled her unbrushed hair into a messy bun. "No, I told her I would let her know what's up after."

"Typical," Loki grumbled from Bruce's left. Everyone ignored him.

"Natasha and Clint are calling in, I wouldn't worry just yet," Bruce said.

Tony was escorted into the meeting by Pepper and forced to sit down. By how unrumpled he looked, she had marched him through a morning routine.

"Stay," she commanded, and rolled her eyes when he whipped out a pair of sunglasses to block out the obnoxiously cheerful morning sunshine streaming in through the windows.

"Dee Dee, please tell me you made coffee for this horrifically early Saturday morning?"

"Darcy," she and Pepper instantly corrected.

Well, that was something at least.

"Technically, I'm not wrong," Tony pointed out and leaned his head back to rest on the chair. "Your name does start with D. Call it a fond nickname."

"Technically you could have checked your Coffee Feed and figured out the answer yourself," Darcy said with a tight smile. Yeah, she was not going to get over the creep factor of that any time soon.

_"Sir, Agents Romanov and Barton are on the line."_

"Put them on speaker," Tony answered, bored already. "This is their show today, after all."

"We're all accounted for on this end," Steve said, his tone on edge. "Dr. Foster's proxy is here."

Proxy. That was a new one.

"What's the situation?" Steve added.

"Loki flagged a potential risk somewhere outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina last night, but it showed no sign of blowing into something like this," Bruce said.

"Apparently our HYDRA friends are great at multi-tasking. While we've been thinning their numbers, they've been putting up a fight and investing in some serious tech," Clint answered. "That damn motto has more truth to it than I like, only this time it's worse."

Darcy's stomach clenched. Worse?

"What do you mean by worse?" Steve prompted.

The Widow's tone was less amused than usual. "Someone passed along our wormhole research and might have beaten us to the punch."

Tony's head popped up. Darcy couldn't see his eyes through the shades, but the tension on his shoulders did not bode well at all.

"They plan on branching out, so to speak," Loki thought aloud. "Interesting move."

Steve frowned. "You're saying they're going to open up a wormhole to God knows where and start recruiting?"

"Making allies, more like." Bruce crossed his arms and leaned forward. "Or rustle up some alien trouble as a distraction. Probably would love to get their hands on more foreign tech, at the very least. There's plenty they could do."

"If they succeed." Loki sounded entertained.

Bruce rubbed his bottom lip with this thumb and leaned back in his chair, thinking. "Hmm…yeah…"

"Something you two would like to share with the class?" Natasha asked, impatience starting to bleed into her voice.

"Well, if they're not messing with our instruments or live feed of the area," Bruce said and brought up an infra-red scan on the conference desk's holo-thingy. "Then the readings here say the chances of this being pulled off successfully are roughly fifty-fifty."

Steve had a mix of determination and nausea on his face. "What happens if it's not successful?"

Tony put the tips of his hands together and then flicked them apart. "Boom."

The Captain's lips pursed with uneasiness. "What would be the blast radius? What can we expect from something like this?"

"No telling, really, beyond extremely large," Bruce said with a head shake. "We don't know what their specs are, what kind of power source they're using, nothing. Buenos Aires would be gone, that's for sure."

"Could we shut it down before that?" Clint asked.

"Maybe," Tony piped up. "How far out are your guys?"

"Six hours, currently en route."

"And we're what, ten? Eight for me. Borrowing the Bi-Frost might trigger something worse if it's aimed near this thing," Tony's thumb drummed on the chair arm. "That's damn close. Looks like this is ready to go in a few hours."

Steve shook his head. "So our choices are to send in a team to neutralize the threat and possibly get blown up, or not send a team and see what happens."

"Doesn't sound much different from any other mission."

Darcy scooted her chair out as quietly as possible and snuck out of the room while the others continued on. Pepper was not far behind her.

"Darcy," she called out to stop her retreat. "Are you okay?"

Darcy flashed a grin and nodded. "Yeah, great. They seem like they're getting things figured out. I'm going to make some coffee."

Pepper gave her a mild form of the Look she gave Tony when he was being evasive, but didn't push. "All right, then. I'm sure they'll welcome the break. Looks like they'll be at it for a while. I'll let you know if Dr. Foster is needed to consult."

Darcy smiled. Pepper or JARVIS could dial up Jane without her help. The only reason she was there was to notify Jane so she had time to mentally prepare.

"Thanks, I appreciate the heads up. I was hoping to avoid ruining her weekend with Thor any more than necessary. She, like, never relaxes. She probably relaxes about as much as she sees Thor which is never. Obviously."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah! Just peachy. Seriously freaky stuff is about to go down, again. This is the new normal, remember?" Darcy changed the focus before she freaked out even more. "How are you doing?"

Pepper gave a her famous small smile and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Like you said, this is the new normal. We don't really have a chance to be anything other than peachy. If we cave in, who takes care of them?"

"JARVIS would delete himself."

"Exactly."

Darcy let out a slow breath, that satisfying, bolstering sort of sigh that stretched the cheeks. "OK. I'm good. Coffee. I can do coffee."

Pepper nodded and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "We would all love some of your coffee, Darcy."

"Ten minutes." She hesitated. "Make that fifteen, stress makes me need to pee."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We get a little mouthy in this chapter. Also, I'm guessing at what physical abuse an Asgardian/Frost Giant can handle. Just go with it.

She forgot to pick up filters. Darcy couldn't do coffee because she forgot to pick up the fucking coffee filters for the stupid fucking coffee!

Frustrated, she slammed the coffee pot on the counter. A long crack appeared in the glass.

_Shit. God-fucking-damnit. I had one job to do! Just one. The one little thing I could do to help out._

Darcy braced her hands on the counter, head hanging down, and tried to grab enough calm to figure something out. She was good at that too, and if she could get her head back on straight she could move on to business.

"They're gone, you know."

Loki stood in the doorway to the lab, looking foreign and wrong with his calm collected demeanor in her space.

"I'm really not in the mood right now," she warned him. "What do you want, Loki?"

"Ms. Potts sent me to look for you. They're all out playing hero, racing against time and towards certain peril. Frankly, I think they need a new hobby."

"If they don't make it, your ass is out on the street and at HYDRA's mercy too."

Loki shrugged and sauntered into the lab, idly picking up half complete electric doodads and then abandoning them. "Survival is in my nature."

"So you would get in bed with them, huh? Why am I not surprised."

"Oh please. You can't be that idealistic. Power shifts every day, and a day is merely a blink in my eye."

Darcy glowered at him. "Was it you that leaked the wormhole research? You had access and plenty of opportunity."

Loki rolled his eyes and pulled back the sleeves of his sweater. A golden cuff on the left wrist and a silver bracelet on the right. "Neither SHIELD nor Asgard would let me anywhere near the toys in this tower without taking precautions. What about you? The mousy, dutiful assistant who matters so little in the grand scheme of things that no one remembers her name." His eyes flicked to the calendar on the wall. "Or her special day, the one day a year where everyone is supposed to be cared for. Really, it's a genius ploy."

"Fuck you."

"Poor Darcy," he cooed. "Always so eager to help, and when the time comes that her insignificant talent might brighten the day a little, she completely fails. Your uselessness is breathtaking."

He smirked and chuckled. Her anger amused him. He was probably trying to make her cry.

To hell with that.

Darcy scoffed and bared her teeth at him. "All right, you want to throw down? Let's do this, King of Daddy Issues. We'll get real personal."

He loomed over her, smirk unmoving. "I would love to hear you try."

"You're a cold bastard, everyone knows that without a doubt. There's nothing you care more about than yourself, which is why you need to play all these petty games."

God, she hated his stupid face. All Darcy wanted to do was punch that smirk off.

"That's all you have left. After your spectacular temper tantrum, daddy neutered your special powers and threw you down here for the mortals to babysit. You're just a child, Loki."

"Is that the best you can do?"

She laughed. "Just getting warmed up. Stop me if you actually feel something, it's hard to tell if you actually have a soul. Maybe Frost Giants aren't born with one of those. Or is it because your real daddy didn't want you?"

There was the tiniest clench of his jaw, but that was enough to fuel Darcy's vindictive streak.

"At least you're consistent, I'll give you that. No one wanted you then and they certainly don't want you now, or else we wouldn't be here." Darcy stepped away from the counter towards him. "You know, that's the biggest difference between us; I have people that care about me. I may just be an average human, but people would care if I died. Shit, your brother would feel something if I kicked the bucket and that's more than can be said for you. Did you know he was actively avoiding you yesterday? He can't even stand the sight of you."

The cold in his eyes and sudden staleness of that smirk was satisfying.

"Your attempts are pathetic. Much like the sad state of your existence."

Darcy stepped up in his space and went so far as to jab her finger in his chest. "At least I know when I'm being pathetic. You're so wrapped up in this misguided god complex and superiority bullshit that I'm surprised you can function at all."

"How do you cope with your inadequacy, Darcy darling? Oh right, you live vicariously through your dear friend Jane, leaching off of her intellect and following her here to the tower like a lost puppy. How fortunate that you find yourself surrounded by new and exciting people of worth to hero-worship. Tell, me, do you wake up every day dripping with anticipation of interacting with people of consequence?"

"Maybe that's it, maybe you're secretly falling apart inside because you're trying so damn hard to pretend otherwise. You're a hollow shell with nothing left to show for anything you might have accomplished before you screwed everything up. All that Thor jealousy and bitterness ate and ate until even the jagged bits were eaten and shit out. And then you took that shit, wrapped a pretty bow around it, and threw it at the wall as hard as you possibly could."

"What is your day like, Darcy? Wake up, stroll into work, putter around pretending you know what you're doing for eight hours, go home, down a bottle of wine, go to sleep, wake up and repeat? That's what your life will be like, every day, until the day your body gives up. No matter the circumstances, no matter who you charm with your lumpy knitwear and nauseatingly quirky witticisms, you will grow old and die. The world will spin on and forget you ever existed."

"See the walls here? They're covered in your bullishit. Every inch of the tower. Everyone knows and just puts up with the smell. We put up with you, Loki. You know what? Not anymore. Fuck you. Fuck you and your bullshit."

They were nearly nose to nose, practically starting a fire worthy of legendary status between the friction of their words and hateful glaring. Darcy was about to spit out her next assault when motion behind Loki, on the other side of the glass wall, caught her attention. The deviation of her eyes was enough to clue Loki in.

"Do you mind?" he snarled at the unfamiliar man in black fatigues, completely unfazed by the assault rifle pointed at them.

"We're in the middle of something here," Darcy finished. There was enough anger-induced adrenaline running high to make her unwisely ballsy.

"Put your hands in the air and get down on the ground!"

"Ask nicely and I may consider humoring you."

The glass was not bullet proof as Darcy discovered. She wasn't sure if she heard the shattering first, or felt a bullet punch her arm. The force knocked her back and suddenly there she was on the floor. Loki was unmoved. The shot of adrenaline pumping through made every sense hyper aware, and she really wished it hadn't. Even without all the fancy Asgardian armor and alien army to back him up, the smile on his face was terrifying - all sharp and toothy like an over-excited mad dog.

"And here I thought the day was going to be boring."

Their attacker poised his gun. "Last chance."

"You should have targeted me first."

The next spray of shots came a fraction of a second too late. The man was halfway done bleeding out before he hit the ground with a pair of scissors and a ballpoint pen stuck in the throat and femoral artery. Loki strode over to the body cracking his knuckles and neck.

"Hmm. Bit rusty there."

"But effective." Darcy hauled herself woozily her feet and was suddenly standing next to him, nudging the guy with her foot. Man, adrenaline was a trippy chemical.

"That's the HYDRA logo. How did this asshole get inside?"

Loki looked down the hall. "Perhaps one of these fine gentlemen can answer."

The sound of boots on the polished floor preceded the ten-man squad coming around the corner. Darcy clenched her hand around the warm, sticky wound on her arm and pushed back the pain. Something told her whatever came next was going to be much worse. There were a hell of a lot of horror stories about HYRDA. There was going to be death, or torture and then death. Neither was a thing she wanted to experience.

"We're going to need a lot more pens."

The bark of laughter from Loki was exceedingly creepy. "The thing about humans," he said over his shoulder as he calmly approached the now shouting brigade. "Is that they are extremely easy to toss around."

_Fighting ten is a lot different than one standing still. Loki's got mad skills, I'll give him that, but I'm probably going to die. Oh god! Geezus, my arm is really starting to hurt. OK! OK, Darcy, breathe, get your head on straight. Figure this out._

"…JARVIS?"

_"Miss Lewis."_

"I don't suppose Mr. Stark was paranoid enough to stash anything in here?"

_"You may find the file cabinet to your far right quite useful."_

_File cabinet? Who the hell uses a file cabinet anymore? she wondered. Why did I never notice this thing before?_

The black file cabinet was empty except for the two middle drawers. One held medical supplies, and the other a nice little cache of things with pins in them (grenades or smoke bombs? Yeah, she wasn't going to test one out just yet), a few full mags and hand gun, knife in a soft sheath, and an ear piece.

"How is this normal to have around in case of emergency!"

Not that she wasn't grateful. The shouting, sounds of bodies slamming into drywall, and gun shots was coming closer. How many times could an Asgardian - Frost Giant? Whatever - be shot and not slowed down? Or worse, killed. They needed to get the hell out of dodge before even more enemy reinforcements came.

_Man, Tony is going to be pissed when he finds out the tower's been invaded. …Jane might win the pissed off contest, though, when she sees her lab._

Darcy scampered to her desk, upended and emptied her purse of everything but her cell phone, and then stuffed it full of grenades, mags, and medical supplies. She loaded the gun, stuck the knife under her arm pit, and secured the bag around her shoulders. The ear piece was shoved into her pocket. If it did what she thought then they might have a chance.

"Loki!" she shouted into the hallway and used the doorjamb for what measly cover it could give. "Catch!"

Why he trusted her to help him out, Darcy had no idea. Probably because her doubts about what his body could handle had some truth to them; even if half the blood on his clothing was not his, he was looking pretty rough.

Loki slammed a soldier on the ground hard enough to crack the cement. Darcy managed to time her throw well enough that he could catch and bring the knife down on the next suicidal idiot. Having a real weapon in his hand seemed to intensify the mad look about him. Darcy was suddenly aware that he was not necessarily on her side of this conflict. Maybe the knife was enough of a good will gesture?

_I don't think I've ever seen that much blood - real, human blood - in my life._

Darcy squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block it all out again. The weight of the gun in her useable hand, pressing against the wound, grounded her. I am not useless. She exhaled sharply out her nose and set her jaw.

The lights flickered and went out just as Loki forced silence out of the last man. The emergency lights came on, bathing the blood and glass in a dull light.

"Feel better now?" she asked.

There was a glint off of something down the hallway. Time seemed to slow down as deja-vu took over. Only this time Darcy was prepared and on alert.

_Raise gun. Support. Aim past target. Squeeze trigger._

Loki's dark brows were up near his hairline. He looked from the man she had just taken out and back to her.

"Do you?" he asked.

She thought about it and lowered the gun. "Yeah. I just pretended he was you. Anyway, don't act so surprised. My dad used to take me shooting."

"Obviously." The sarcasm was not lost on Darcy. She rolled her eyes.

"We need to get out of here," she said and shoved the ear piece in her ear. "JARVIS, please tell me I can hear you!"

"Who the hell is this!"

"Uhh…" she stared blankly at Loki who raised a brow at her. "Darcy Lewis. I'm Dr. Foster's lab assistant. Who are you?"

"Maria Hill, Head of Stark Security and Defens, former Agent of SHIELD. How did you get access to our comms?"

"I found an earpiece in a weapons stash. We were just attacked by HYDRA soldiers on Level 6."

"Any survivors?"

"Not on their side."

"Good."

"What the hell is going on?"

"Whatever sent the Avengers out in a panic was just a distraction. Levels one through nine and thirty-nine through fifty have been taken. We're holding out for now, but they're squeezing us from both ends here."

"Yeah, no shit. Is there any good news?"

"All exits are sealed, which means they can't get reinforcements in or anything important out."

"Are we on our own?"

"Fraid so. Either find a safe place you can defend, or do your best to get the hell out - the system should recognize you and let you pass. I can't guarantee that either way will keep you alive. Just don't let them take you. You understand me, Darcy?"

The bottom dropped out of Darcy's stomach. This was really happening. "Loud and clear."

"Good luck."

"Thanks. Hey, if JARVIS has access to the room you're in ask him about any hidden stashes. Check any file cabinets or out of place stuff if he doesn't answer."

"…I'll do that. Hill out."

Darcy removed the ear piece and stuck it back in her pocket. "We're boxed in. Our options are hole up until help or HYDRA comes, or somehow fight through the inevitable hundreds of assholes."

"I like the second option."

Frigging crazy warrior mentality. Darcy sighed and pressed the wrist of the hand holding the gun against her wound. The throbbing and stinging was getting to her. "You would say that. How many times did you get shot? We should patch up before moving on."

"Or I could leave you here and go myself."

Darcy glared at him. The pain and fear already had her pissed off, and his mouth while not surprising was also not helping. She pointed the gun at his face, not caring that he could disarm her with little energy.

"Don't think that I won't unload this on you before you go."

Loki laughed and eyed her with the taunting amusement he reserved just for her. The blood smeared on his cheek was unnerving. "I was wondering how brave that puny thing would make you."

"It's not the gun," she said, and did not lower it. "This is a human backed into a corner. Nothing to lose, everything to gain. Hurting you would be a nice death day present."

"Ooh!"

Darcy grit her teeth. "God damnit, I fucking hate you."

"Yet you killed a man before he could wound me," he pointed out with great pleasure. He raised his wrist again, the one with the silver security bracelet. "I cannot leave the tower without an approved escort. You will have to do."

"JARVIS," she called one last time, and used every remaining ounce of will power to not think about what she had done. "Make me an approved escort for Loki. And no, I am not asking nicely."

_"Mr. Stark has approved your demand and sends his luck to you, Miss Lewis."_

"We're going to find somewhere less exposed to regroup. The bathrooms lock from the inside," she told Loki. "Lead on, meat shield."

The blood loss was probably affecting her brain, but there might have been the tiniest amount of respect in his smirk.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of thumbs up for the previous chapter! I think this one is pretty crazy in its own right. Then again, I could say that for them all.

Darcy had to stick a finger in one of his wounds to persuade Loki let her help him. Now that he needed her for something, she had a little leeway to work with.

"Shut up and let me help you," she scolded and sanitized two pairs of tweezers with the small bottle of rubbing alcohol she had found in the file cabinet. "This will go faster with two pairs of hands. Christ, how many times did they shoot you?"

He ignored the stunned look on her face as he removed his green sweater, now saturated black in some spots. "Have you done this before?"

"Oh right, Asgard uses bullets. How silly of me to think you weren't an expert." She hesitated. "…Considering that you're shot full of holes, I'm guessing you're fine with pain?"

"Your constant yammering is more painful." Loki went straight in and dug a warped slug out of his side. "Just hurry up before I heal around them."

Darcy worked on the arm he wasn't using. She had to tug at the two wounds to keep them open (he totally winced), and managed to pull out the bullets. There was blood, but not as much as she had expected.

"Out of morbid curiosity," she murmured and started on his back. "What happens if they shoot you in the head?"

"We both will lose our lives today. You are not nearly as comfortable or skilled with that gun as you force yourself to be, and are far less durable."

"Point taken." Darcy waked around him and looked for any they may have missed. "I think we got them all. Looks like they only grazed your legs."

"Yes, and I appear to be healing at a normal rate." Loki donned his shirt again. "Are you going to squirm if I suggest taking a look at yours?"

Darcy blinked. "What?"

He motioned to her arm. The bleeding had stopped, but she was too afraid to look and see what the real damage was. She could move her fingers and that was good enough for her.

Plus she didn't trust him.

"No way."

"Either we do this now or later with less than ideal circumstances in between."

He had a point. Would leaving it in and fighting with it like this do more damage in the long run? Darcy sighed.

"Give me your belt."

That was not the response he had expected, and she would have laughed at the confusion on his face any other day.

"Wimpy human, remember? I've never been shot before, let alone gotten a bullet removed. I'll do my best not to scream bloody murder, but it will be easier if I have something to bite down on and muffle the sound," she explained. "We don't need my screaming giving us away."

Loki unbuckled his belt and handed it over. "A fair assessment."

Darcy folded it in two and pulled from her purse a bottle of iodine, a gauze roll, an absorbent pad, and a packet with thread and what looked to be one of those weird, curved sewing needles people on TV used for stitches. She pulled her injured arm free of her shirt sleeve. At least she had chosen a black bra today; blood wouldn't show and render it useless if she ended up alive to wear it again.

"Use the iodine on the wound first, please," she said and began taking deep, slow breaths. "And sterilize the tweezers with the rubbing alcohol."

The hole in her arm burned more in disagreement of being touched than from the iodine. The adrenaline was slowly flowing again.

Loki held her arm in place and poised the tweezers. "Are you ready?"

"Give me a sec." Darcy took one last deep breath. "God, this is going to freaking suck. OK, go."

She stuffed his belt in her mouth and clamped down.

 _Ooooooh, holy shit. Holy shit!_ _Motherassballsshitfuck!_

"He managed to graze the bone," Loki murmured, sounding like he was deeply interested with the effect of firepower on human flesh. "Ah, here it is. Don't move."

Darcy's jaw and teeth were aching, and her throat hurt from the guttural sounds she made to fight off a scream.

"Hush already, it's out." Loki dropped the bullet into the sink basin where it landed with a metallic clink to rest with the others from his body.

The stitches were far less painful. Her fingers smoothed over the deep indents her teeth had made in the belt leather, and she watched him work while leaning heavily against the counter. She already felt wrung out and they had yet to even begin the madness of making a run for it.

Loki's fingers were long and used to precise movements. His stitches were small and neat, and he worked quickly. Soon enough her arm was securely bandaged.

"Thank you." Best to say it now before it got stuck in her throat.

"You whine far less than Volstagg for a greater wound."

Darcy stared at him a moment before giving his belt back. "Was that a compliment?"

"It was an insult to Volstagg," Loki said and put the belt back on. "Are we done here?"

She carefully re-situated her shirt and packed up their supplies. "Yeah. Let's go find out what we're dealing with."

They managed to sneak to the west stairwell without raising an alarm from the soldiers patrolling the floor. Darcy wanted to hightail it back onto the Level 6 when confronted with all the noise of soldiers shouting orders and confirmations at one another, but Loki blocked and pushed her on.

"There's got to be a hundred of them above and below us!" she protested in a strained whisper.

"You worry too much." Loki carefully peeked over the railing and assessed the situation. "Do you have anything to distract them with?"

Darcy pawed through her purse and came up with three of the grenade-looking things. "I have no idea what these do, but they're all we have as far as crowd control goes."

Loki grinned and took two. "Let us find out, shall we?"

He pulled the pins on two. With well-aimed tossing, one landed a few flights down and the other straight to the bottom. Darcy covered her ears. Feeling the pop and quake of two grenades was another new experience to add to her list for the day.

_This was definitely not on my bucket list._

"Hold on!" Loki shouted, and scooped Darcy up. On pure animal instinct, she did as she was told and clamped her arms around his neck. Somehow she knew he had planned on jumping over the railing. He was crazy. Of course he would.

Smoke and plaster dust choked her lungs on the long way down. The airtime and the scenery rushing past reminded her of being on one of those platform drop rides. Judging by the glee on Loki's face, he would love going to an amusement park. Maybe if they lived and he learned how to not be dick she would float the idea to Thor.

Their landing created an impressive crater. Darcy was glad she had kept her mouth closed, or else she might have bitten her tongue clean off.

There was moaning of the wounded amongst the debris and a hell of a lot of pissed off voices bouncing around. Loki set her down quickly and freed the knife from its sheath in his boot.

"Through here! There's a huge ass marble column that hides this door that we can take cover behind!" Darcy dug out her gun, hip-checked the door marked LOBBY open, and held it for Loki. "I'll do my best to cover your back."

"Much obliged." He smiled and twirled the knife in his hand.

"Hey!" She tossed the last grenade to him. "Make it count."

Loki gave her a theatrical bow and stepped around the column. "Good afternoon, gentleman!"

"Why does he always need an audience?" Darcy moaned aloud and took up residence behind the column, facing the door. This would work as a decent bottleneck.

Darcy kicked a tall, heavy trashcan into place for cover. Thank god she was small. With two mags at hand on the floor and two stuck in her back pockets, she crouched down on one knee. Just then, a small wave of soldiers kicked the stairwell door open.

She dropped the first one with three shots and the second with two. A few got smart and stayed back just inside the door. Darcy managed to critically wound a few until they took cover in the darkness. Patience was indeed a virtue, or else they were seriously underestimating her; why they thought rushing at her would change the situation was a mystery.

A flick to release the spent mag and a quick grab and punch to load the next seemed oddly easy. Everything did. The knowledge of what she was doing to fellow human beings was there, but her own survival instincts had taken over.

 _How am I so calm?_ Darcy asked herself and took out the next soldier with a shot to the kneecap after the first shot to the sternum hit body armor. _Maybe I've been slowly going into shock this whole time._

The last man in the wave dropped his rifle when he fell and it slid across the shiny marble floor halfway to her.

 _I should take that._ Darcy snatched it up and gave it a once over. The design seemed pretty standard to the ones that her dad thought would be funny for her to try out at the range. She hoped Loki's stitch job would hold up.

"Loki!" she hollered once her back was pressed safely against the column again. "Are you OK?"

"Just - " A man screamed. "Wonderful!"

Darcy peered around the corner and saw pure carnage. Loki moved with practiced grace and zero mercy. The fluid movement of his body and the way it moved as if the knife was an extension of his arm made the brutality into a sort of macabre dance. _Beautiful_ and _horrifying_ came to mind.

A dozen lay dead on the ground, and the rest either took shots at him from cover or stupidly tried to overwhelm him as a group. Darcy checked her door for any new arrivals and saw none. The recoil of the rifle was hell on her arm, and her aim wasn't as good, but she managed to pick off half a dozen of the men shooting at him.

The ping-ping-ping of rounds embedding themselves in the marble above her head snapped Darcy out of her zone. Another party was starting at the stairwell door. She let loose in loosely-aimed, rapid-fire shots whenever someone tried to prop the door open. The deafening sound bounced off the high ceilings and marble coated belly of the lobby. _How do people do this without earplugs?_

The POW of their last grenade going off was somewhat muffled, at least. Loki grabbed her by the shoulder and Darcy had to read his lips.

"We need to move! Now!"

They ran to the sealed, bullet and blast-proof doorways. Darcy scrambled to find a scanner on the wall. Loki's back was pressed to hers, easily covering her smaller form from enemy fire that hard recovered from their assault. The scanner required finger print, retina, and voice scan. Of course.

"I'm Darcy Motherfucking Lewis, now open the door!" she screamed at it.

APPROVED. PLEASE SCAN SECURITY BRACELET.

"Security bracelet?" It did ring a bell. "Oh, oh! Wave your bracelet thingy at it!"

Loki hovered his wrist over the scanner and Darcy let out a hallelujah when the door swung open for them. She practically shoved Loki out first and emptied the rifle at the straggling soldiers. She threw it at them for good measure before ducking through the door. The entryway sealed itself once more, putting a barrier between them and HYRDA.

"That's what you get!" Darcy shouted and held up two triumphant middle fingers.

"As amusing as your celebration dance is," Loki drawled. "We are not yet safe. I don't doubt that there are soldiers monitoring the perimeter of the tower."

"Crap, you're right." She looked around, thinking fast. "Shouldn't take the subway from here, they might have that entrance covered. Taxi is out since my wallet is inside still, even if someone was crazy enough to take a route around this pace today. Come on, we'll hoof it for a few blocks. That is if you weren't planning on ditching me as soon as we got out."

"That depends on where you plan to go."

"My apartment," Darcy said, and started walking. Staying still was making her antsy. "It's far away from here, has food, and a working shower. That's pretty much all I can offer."

Loki's long strides caught up to her quickly. "Sounds like a decent start. How quickly can we get there?"

Darcy gave him the side eye. "Why?"

He held his side where fresh blood was soaking into his shirt. "Because I believe something important was struck this time."

Darcy picked up the pace. "Can you make it four blocks? There's a subway station that's pretty lax in security; we can skiv the fare and not freak anyone out. Ten minute walk, fifteen minute ride and it will drop us right outside my building."

He jerked his chin in agreement. "Onward."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In advance of this chapter, I apologize. You will know why.
> 
> ...Also, I would love it if my italics would stop disappearing when I post the first time. -_-

Darcy looked at the TVs playing on the subway platform long enough to see a few explosions shake Stark Tower. Windows were blown out, some still trickling smoke, on various floors Maria Hill had mentioned as being occupied by HYDRA. She hoped those explosions were a good thing, that the good guys were winning. With hands in her pockets, fingers playing with the now useless earpiece there, Darcy casually strode on to the train car with Loki by her side.

And wasn't that something? They sat down, heavy and tired, side by side. She was sharing her space with the destroyer of New York, and not only had she seen him in all of his frightening, maniacal glory, she had been right there with him doling out the hurt.

The hum and whoosh of the train moving cast a hush over the inhabitants. No one gave them two glances, and they paid the same courtesy. Locked in a small space with her thoughts, there was nowhere to run from them. There was no death hanging like a guillotine over her neck, waiting for her to step wrong and let it fall.

_I killed people today._

Darcy stared at her red-stained hands. The thought repeated in her mind, over and over.

_I killed people today._

Her leg started bouncing on the ball of her foot, up and down, up and down. Her hands knotted and unknotted, rubbed and kneaded the soft parts of her palms.

_I killed people today. I killed people today._

Loki set his hand on her knee. The light touch made the fidgeting stop and focused her.

"Sshhh," he spoke in a low tone. "Quiet now."

Darcy nodded, though it was not sincere. The panic was still sitting in her gut and sending feelers out for escape exits.

"You don't need to feel anything."

Was that empathy from him? Darcy slid her eyes to the side, her vision full of his tattered, dirty clothes. Loki stared ahead, his face smooth except for the occasional tightness around the eyes when the hole in his side pained him. He held a hand with an absorbent wound pad from their med stash against it, tight grip and pale skin between the dirt and rusty colored stains.

"Are you ever afraid of yourself?"

The question shocked the both of them, but there it was, out in the open and running free. Loki stared at her now, intense and considering. The tendrils of panic were cowed under that stare. Weird. Maybe centuries of remorseless killing gave him that power.

"No. Not anymore."

The silence fell between them again, not so much awkward as pensive.

Loki was the one to break it this time. "I underestimated you."

A tired laugh flew out of Darcy. "Welcome to the club. Should I take that as an apology for this morning?"

His mouth quirked. "Absolutely not."

"Good. I stand by what I said. You're still a crazy asshole." Darcy leaned back and let her head thump against the wall of the train. "But I might be willing to admit that I don't know you at all."

There was something else besides the freaky stuff and his combative personality that Darcy couldn't handle looking at right then. Acknowledging and moving on was the best she could do for now.

"I think you must have hit your head at some point."

"Probably," she agreed, and looked up as the conductor announced the next stop. "This is us."

 

Darcy had to bother her neighbor for the spare key to her own apartment. She made Loki hide in the stairwell since the sight of him would have invited a hell of a lot of uncomfortable questions.

 _Thank god I mostly just look like a dirty homeless person,_ she thought and stepped into her tiny apartment with a heaving sigh of relief. There was just something about coming home after the world's worst day ever that tilted the balance back in her favor.

She half expected Loki to make a run of snide comments about the clutter and laundry, but he was oddly focused on something else entirely.

"What is that smell?" he asked, frowning as he looked around trying to find a source. "I know that smell."

"Uhh." Darcy was at a loss. "I don't know. Pretty sure it's just me."

He didn't respond, just moved about on the hunt for something. "This is actually the weirdest thing you've done all day. Umm…I'll be right back. We should take care of you."

Loki waved her off. If he started sniffing her laundry, they were going to have a problem. Darcy left him to it and fetched some cotton squares and old hand towels from the bathroom.

"We should have enough rubbing alcohol and iodine left to…"

Darcy stopped in her tracks. Loki stood near the window where she had put her birthday gift from Thor. His fingers faintly brushed the petals. She couldn't tell if the pained look on his face was from the wound or something else.

_Ooh…right. Thor's mom was the one that raised him. Well shit, he does have a heart. Or did._

She tugged on his sleeve to get his attention. "Hey. Let's get you fixed up."

The look disappeared as soon as he remembered she was there. Loki turned away from the window and followed her to the kitchenette.

"Shirt off," she ordered and filled a mixing bowl with warm water.

He managed to release one arm, and snarled in frustration when he could not do the other without tearing the wound more.

Darcy caught him by the wrist to make him stop moving. "Easy, don't make it worse."

She held his elbow and then carefully tugged the sleeve away. He was looking at her in that weird way again. Darcy cleared her throat and removed the shirt from his neck.

"This thing is disgusting," she said, her nose wrinkling. "I'll find something clean for you later."

"You have men's clothing in your apartment?"

"Yeah, what's your point?" Darcy chucked the shirt in the trash and then dipped one of the wash cloths in the water. "I kept some of my ex's stuff after we broke up. I call it a Cheater's Tax."

"Fascinating."

"Comfortable," she corrected. "Don't tell me a girl never left something in your room after sexy time. Pro-tip: it's always on purpose."

Loki snorted and took the washcloth from her. She was glad he was cleaning it; that one was gnarly-looking.

"Really?"

"Yep." Darcy set to sanitizing the tweezers again. "And the more expensive they are, the more she's into a repeat performance."

"How much did they cost you?"

"Too much." Darcy paused, and then chucked a cloth at him. "Shut up!"

Loki laughed. He was laughing at her, but it was a real laugh nonetheless.

"Oh my god. Did you just laugh?"

"You must be hearing things," he said and grabbed the tweezers from her.

She held on. "You did too! I feel like I just found a unicorn."

They played tug of war until Darcy let go. She grinned and shook her head. "Fine, grumpy goose. I'm going to go shower the smell of death off myself and try to pretend today never happened. Might want to wrap that up until it really heals."

"I'm quite capable of taking care of myself, thank you."

Darcy rolled her eyes and headed to her bedroom. "You're welcome."

 

Hot water had never felt so good. She used far too much shampoo trying to get the dust and who knew what else out of her hair, and half a bottle of body wash until the water coming off of her was clear. Hopefully Loki didn't mind lukewarm showers.

Darcy towel-dried her hair while looking through her drawers for something cozy to wear, something she could pass out in later because the energy to change into PJs was definitely not going to be there.

_Yoga pants it is._

"Your mobile keeps…ringing."

Loki and Darcy stared at one another in shock. His eyes definitely scoped out her assets.

"Turn around," she managed to say in a much calmer voice than she thought possible. "Now."

"Are you sure?"

"Am I - " Darcy covered herself with the towel and stormed at him. "I have a gun in the kitchen!"

Loki chuckled and backed out of the room before she could hit him. Apparently he had enough manners to close the door behind him but not to knock.

"As I was saying," he said through the thin wood. "Someone keeps ringing you."

"They can wait until I'm dressed!" she said and pulled out the fluffy pink towel for his turn in the shower - Loki's punishment, passive aggressive as it was.

"You know, there is no reason to talk through a door if there's nothing new to see."

Darcy pulled on a soft cotton t-shirt. "Have you healed yet?"

"No."

She opened the door and jabbed him in the side. "Then shut up."

Loki hissed through his teeth and clutched at his delicately healing wound. "You are the very definition of a she-devil!"

Darcy shoved the towel in his arms and smirked. "Don't forget it."

_I hope I used the whole building's hot water, you perv._

And somehow he was the one that needed petty revenge. Apparently they had reached a new level of antagonizing one another.

After rooting around the disaster that was her closet, Darcy finally found a white button down. Her ex had been tall and gangly; hopefully it would fit.

The sound of the shower running prompted Darcy to knock loudly before cracking open the door an inch. "Hey, I found a shirt for you. You'll have to wear your own…pants…"

She forgot the shower door was clear glass. And that the mirror above the sink was on the opposite wall. In the mirror, Darcy had a full view of Loki in the nude, his head tilted into the spray of the shower and water running down his body. There was something frighteningly erotic about watching the blood and dirt washed clean. Maybe it was the way the fluorescent lighting glinted off his wet shoulders and tightly packed muscles. He was no Thor, but fuck if Loki didn't have an amazing body. She could really sink her teeth into the dimple on his ass -

Loki caught her eye in the mirror and smirked, water dripping from his lips and chin. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Darcy bolted from the door and began humming, in complete denial that she had oogled him at all. No way was she going to give him the satisfaction of getting to her.

_Nope, nothing to see here._

Thankfully there was plenty of excellent alcohol in her apartment courtesy of Tony and Pepper. Darcy poured herself some whiskey, guessing at what the appropriate amount was. She hated whiskey, but the heat and sting proved to be an excellent mind scrub.

Bolstered, she set to grabbing sandwich makings. Eating was always an enjoyable distraction, and all the crap the day had piled up left her starving. Each bite kept away the things she didn't want to think about, and there were so many more than usual. The sandwich was half gone by the time Loki ambled in, clad only in his dirty and torn up trousers, the shirt she had left in the bedroom clutched in one hand.

"Nothing for me?" he asked and scoffed when she smiled. "You are a terrible hostess."

"Just awful," she agreed, and fished out her phone, needing the link to the outside world to better block him out. "Jesus, Jane. Twenty calls? Really?"

Well, not like she could blame her. Still, Darcy was too exhausted to deal with a frantic Jane. If further shit was hitting the fan it could wait until tomorrow. Her quota was filled for the day.

_I'm alive! Sorry, only just got back to sanity. Going to drink heavily and pass out soon. Will call you later._

Darcy sent the text and was about to scold Loki for stealing her sandwich when the phone rang in her hand.

"Are there potato chips in this? You really are a heathen."

"Jane," she began automatically, her glare having no effect on Loki's sandwich plundering. "I literally just texted you. I'm fine - "

"Darcy?"

Darcy froze. The sandwich and whiskey turned in her stomach. She did not need this. Not today, not now, not with someone in the room, and definitely not with Loki as the person in the room.

"Dad." She swallowed and turned her back on Loki, ignoring the look of curiosity.

"Why wouldn't you be fine?" he asked, the slur in his voice not doing much to dampen the ribbing nature in his tone. "Yer my daughter after all. Tough as nails!"

"Don't they have a TV in the bar?" she asked, not proud of the dig or sharpness in her own voice, but really. Why did the universe hate her so much? Wasn't being shot enough for one day? Hell, she would put dealing with Loki as a full day.

"Aww, come on pumpkin. Don't be like that."

Darcy tilted her head back and pinched the bridge of her nose. Would more alcohol make the oncoming headache better or worse? Damn it all, now she couldn't get drunk off her ass anymore without being a hypocrite.

"I'm really not in the mood for this, Dad. What do you want?"

"Why do I need to need something?" he asked, becoming indignant. "Can't I just call to talk to my daughter and catch up?"

"You never call unless you need something. Usually money. How much do you need this time?"

"Hey now." The anger turned to whining. "Why you gotta be so mean to me, Darcy? You know I love you, right?"

Darcy's grip on the phone tightened enough to make the plastic shift and squeak.

"How much do you need?" she demanded, tone hard. There would be no caving today. He could whine and manipulate all he wanted, but today would not be his day.

"Darcy darlin'. My baby girl."

"DAD."

"All right! God, you don't need to shift into bitch-mode." The cooing voice was gone and replaced by the scowling bitterness she knew so well. Darcy shook her head and grit her teeth. "You're always doing that, and all I want is to hear from you once in a while."

"Oh, so I can make it convenient for you to beg?"

"Don't you talk to me like that! Always sniping and holding grudges. You're just like your mother!"

"Except she's dead and lucky enough to not have to deal with you anymore!"

"Yeah, well I bet she still ain't no angel!"

Darcy snarled, but did not get a chance to hurl the string of expletives. Loki snatched the phone out of her hand and she whirled on him.

"Give that back!"

"Mr. Lewis?" he said with the phone to his ear while dodging Darcy's attempts to grab it away.

 _"Who the hell is this?"_ she heard her father shout.

Loki smirked his special sociopath smirk. "Most people know me as Loki of Asgard," he purred. "I'm sure you've seen me on television, though I gather from the conversation with your daughter that you may have been passed out in a tavern during my last visit to New York. Perhaps the excitement did not sink in past the alcohol."

Whatever her father said in response amped up the unnerving smugness. "Yes. That's the one. I'm so glad you've realized. Now you will understand what I mean when I say that you will refrain from contacting Darcy in the future. Routing out rats is such a tedious business."

His quiet laugh sent a chill up her spine. Darcy wasn't sure if that was because of him, or the vindictive satisfaction it inspired in her.

"Goodbye, Mr. Lewis."

Loki disconnected the call and tossed the phone on the counter. "What?"

"I didn't need to you to do that."

"Yes you did." The way her simmering anger bounced off of him brought her to a boil. "You were nearly crying, and I really do not want to deal with that."

"I was not!"

"Sit down, and eat your sandwich, Darcy."

"Don't treat me like a child in my own apartment!"

Loki sneered at her. "Then stop acting like one! Honestly, is that such a feat to aspire to for all humans or just you?"

"At least people don't die when I get angry!"

"Don't they?"

Darcy launched the sandwich plate at his head. Loki dodged it easily and caught her by the wrist before another projectile could be thrown at him. He did not expect the slap across the face from her injured side; the pain in her arm from the force was worth it.

 _"How dare you!"_ Darcy was so angry she could barely see straight. The mix of physical pain, frustration, the fear for her own soul, and that anger fueled her limbs to strike at him and struggle so much that Loki had trouble keeping her in place. He backed her up into the counter, the back of her head knocking into the cupboards, and pinned her wrists against the cheap wood.

"Oh, I dare," Loki growled and ground her bones painfully in his hands. "Don't act so sanctimonious!"

"I'm not a crazy person like you! I didn't enjoy it!"

He pressed his body into hers, trapping her further. The heat of his skin, the mixed smell of her shampoo and his scent, the reverberations of his low voice tingling through her, all invaded her senses and fueled her rage. She tried to knee him in the groin, only to be dodge again. Loki deftly switched his grip so one hand held her wrists and the other held her offending knee around his hip.

"Oh, I think you did." That terrible smirk was back. "You're quite deadly when you want to be. Perhaps it felt good to be doing something worthwhile for a change, something on the scale of your dear heroes?"

Darcy strained against his hold to hiss in his face, "I hate you. You are a _poison!_ "

"And I _loathe_ everything about you!"

She wasn't sure who went for it first. Maybe it was the only way left to shut her up. Maybe the overwhelming stress needed an outlet and got mixed up with the other intense feelings on the way out. Somehow their mouths met in a kiss - only it wasn't so much a kiss as a battle of lips, teeth, and tongue. Her mouth was the only weapon available, and by god was she ever going to tear him apart. It was passionately violent, completely wrong, and incredibly hot.

Darcy cursed when Loki rolled his hips, pressing an impressive hard on against her, and she could not hold back an enthusiastic groan.

Loki stopped the thorough bruising of her lips. "Submit to me."

Heat pooled in her core at the commanding power in his voice. If he fucked as well as he fought…

Darcy raised her face and mimicked his confidence just to provoke him further.

"Make me."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up.

The gauntlet had been thrown down.

Loki accepted her challenge. The kitchen would never be the same.

His hands gripped her thighs and pressed into Darcy's flesh as he lifted her onto the counter. She took the opportunity to touch him, to feel the varied texture of smooth skin and tissues still healing along his shoulders and chest.

Loki teased her mouth with his, not quite letting them meet. She dug her nails into him and tore him open in shallow furrows. The pain and heat in the foreign expletive forced out of him was far more exciting than it should have been. She wanted to hurt him and take everything the bastard could give.

The yoga pants were torn off in three deliberate strokes. Loki held her enraged gaze as he did it, the fabric coming apart like wet paper in his powerful hands.

Darcy growled. "You'll pay for that."

"No. I won't."

Panties were murdered in the same vein. He was only mildly careful with her, pulling Darcy by the waist against him and forcing her legs farther apart to accommodate him and her naked intimate parts to rub in a maddeningly teasing way against his clean skin. Darcy attacked the plentiful plane of his neck, scraping her teeth and biting down when Loki palmed her breast unkindly under her t-shirt. Whatever mark she left on him wouldn't last, but that only made the liberties she could take that much more satisfying.

Darcy knew how fucked up that thought was. She also knew that everything about the current situation was fucked up. But the anger and pleasure roiling inside made caring very difficult.

The shirt came off by her own hurried hands. The lavished attention to her free breasts was not surprising or original. His nipple-teasing technique was quite a different story.

"When I saw you earlier, I wanted to take you right there, pressed against the dresser," he mused between sucking and lapping her soft nipples to hard peaks. "I can still imagine the sound of the wood against the wall while I fuck you. What would you have done, I wonder?"

Darcy veiled a gasp with a harsh laugh and threw out the cruelest thing she could think of. "I wonder what Thor would do to you for forcing yourself on me?"

Fouling their tryst with a reminder of Thor renewed Loki's vindictive vigor. Even as Darcy alternately arched and pulled away from the overwhelming stimulation of his tongue, she also became annoyed at herself for being impressed.

_Of course he had to be good at this. Why couldn't he be terrible so I could laugh in his face?_

"Is that all you've got?" she taunted.

Loki scoffed, the hot puff of his breath against her peak inspiring the worst sorts of lustful sins in her head.

"Is that a complaint?" He teased her folds with the brush of a thumb. "Your body suggests otherwise."

"You still have plenty of work to do. I'm notoriously hard to get off."

"You're nothing special. I can handle the cunt of a mortal." Loki dropped to his knees with that mad glint in his eye and jerked her hips forward to the edge of the counter. Darcy had to quickly support herself against the cold laminate or fall off.

"The real question is whether you can handle the tongue of a god?"

"Oh plea - oh. Ooh!"

Her head knocked back into the cabinet door again. This time around she still didn't care.

She thought one had to be gentle with this sort of thing, ease a girl into stimulation. As it turned out, that was fucking bullshit. Or maybe it was just the weird connection between them. She liked the roughness, the hard sucking and hint of teeth were totally working for Darcy.

The wet stroking and targeted attacks around her clit had her suspecting him of mind reading, spying on her for months, something must have told him how she liked to be worked over. The way he tongue-fucked her with the right pressure and angle…no one was that good.

Darcy gripped him by the hair and kept him in place while her hips undulated desperately against his lips and tongue. He could have broken her hand and she would only have shoved him to the floor and sat on his face if it meant Loki continued. Wouldn't it be just typical if he stopped and left right then, right when he had her writhing for him?

"Don’t you dare stop!" Darcy commanded. "I'll cut out your tongue and turn it into a personal vibrator if I have to!"

She didn't care how insane or impossible it sounded. An alien was giving her one of the best orgasms of her life. She would find a way.

If the vibration hadn't kicked her over the edge, Darcy might have wondered if the cause of it was a moan or if she had been hearing things.

No sooner had her body recovered from the tension than Darcy found herself picked up into a moving straddle position.

"What are you doing?" Coherent thought after coming was hard enough, but doubly so when things about you were moving.

"I cannot fuck you properly in the _kitchen._ "

Loki sounded like a man on a mission. With a toss, she bounced onto her bed. She did mind the mild whiplash, but the sudden intense heat of his very naked body covering hers stunned the reprimand out of her.

Or maybe that was because of the cock he pushed inside her. The loud curse she let loose had a moan on its heels. The high sensitivity after the kitchen tongue show gave that first thrust the perfect balance of pain and pleasure she liked. That didn't mean she wouldn't take a shot at him again.

"You're supposed to warn a girl," she growled, pulling his head away from her breast by the hair.

_This hair pulling thing is really working for me._

Was the hitch in his breath because of her lady bits or the hair pulling? Maybe it was working for him too.

_Fuck, that's hot._

Darcy could see how women got into the dominatrix scene.

"Not. Today." His slow, smug smirk was also working for her, and in tandem with the rolling of his pelvis. Loki laughed quietly in her ear. "How long can you hold on?"

Stubborn as ever, Darcy would rather die than admit he had her close again already. Could someone be a cocktease if their cock was already in you? He was definitely teasing the spongy pleasure spot inside in the best sort of way, rocking back and forth with torturous persistence.

One forearm supported his weight on the bed next to her head. The opposite hand happily held their bodies together with a palm full of ass. He watched her try to keep control like a cat watches the futile attempts of a mouse to escape a playful paw.

Loki hovered his parted lips over hers and whispered. _"Darcy."_

She almost caved. Release was so close, all Darcy had to do was let go. She did let go, but certainly not in the way Loki had intended. Driving him crazy was a talent in her wheelhouse too, after all. Time to have her cake and eat it too.

Darcy hooked her leg over him and used his surprise and curiosity to flip their positions. Straddling him now, she gave him a perfect view of her whole body. Every man Darcy had been with loved watching her while she was on top, and Loki was no different. His hands smoothed over her hips, back, and breasts. The loud groan that escaped him when Darcy began riding him hard inspired her own smugness. He could not look away; there was a glazed look in his eyes.

Screw cats and mice, she was the goddam flute hypnotizing the cobra. With her tits.

The thought made her smirk.

Loki gripped her hard and tried to thrust up into her. Darcy stopped moving and removed his hand privileges.

She shook her head and felt a thrill at how turned on he looked when she leaned over him to pin his wrists on either side.

Darcy tsked. "I don't think so."

Sure, he was letting her restrain him, but there was something about him wanting her to and liking it. There was a different sort of power in that.

Darcy started a slow yet intense rhythm, one that ground her clit against his pelvic bone and his cock over her g-spot in alternating points in a stroke. Loki sighed with pleasure, and she rewarded him for his vocal responsiveness with a breast pressed to his mouth. He loved her nipple with teeth and tongue, the little nips making her tighten around his cock and the vibrating groan earned in return.

_"Darcy."_

This time, he was not teasing her. He wasn't quite begging. Darcy's heartbeat picked up and she had to force herself to draw out her movements.

He growled and raised his head to kiss her. Darcy pulled back and put some authority in her voice.

"You know what I want, Loki."

Darcy tightened her hands around his wrists, reminding him that he had wanted to play by her rules. He fought himself as hard as she had, but she would win this time too. Darcy pressed her lips to his and brought one of his hands to her breast. Hearing and feeling him moan made her twitch and move against him harder.

He broke the kiss with a gasp. "Darcy, _please._ "

_Oh, god, yes!_ Loki begging her was definitely a kink she didn't know she had. Darcy was right there with him in the mix of vocals and sounds of their bodies. She found just the right angle, her body tensed, and she held the picture of Loki's hungry, lust-filled eyes in her mind when hers closed as she came.

Loki's body shuddered when he followed her over the edge. In the haze of the aftershocks, she saw the arch of his neck as his head pressed into the bed and the slackness in his jaw.

When time and exhaustion caught up to them again, Darcy dismounted and flopped down next to him. Neither said a word. The sound of their heavy breathing was enough.

 

 

_Bangbangbangbangbang!_

_…_

_Bangbangbang!_

_"Darcy!"_

"Mwuh…"

_Bangbangbangbangbang!_

Darcy rolled over and covered her eyes with her arm. If that banging didn't stop there was going to be a dead person she wasn't sorry about killing. And she'd killed HYRDA agents.

_"DARCY!"_

_That sounds like Jane's panicky shouting._

Darcy sat up, wide awake.

_SHIT. JANE._

The banging continued and did not sound like Jane was going to let up any time soon. Christ, what was blowing up now?

She shoved her tangled hair out of her face and looked around. Loki's head was buried under her pillows.

_SHIT. LOKI._

Darcy tossed the pillows across the room and shoved him. "Loki!" Darcy hissed. "Wake up! Jane's banging on the door like a mad woman!"

He scowled and covered his eyes. "Yes? And?"

She would not admit that he was sexy when groggy. Ever.

_No time for that!_ Random clothing was grabbed from her dresser and pulled on in record time.

"And she can't know about…this!"

Loki propped his head up on an arm and stared with lazy disinterest. "Why ever not?"

"Because! It's a terrible idea!" Darcy dashed into her tiny living room and kitchen and stopped in her tracks. "Holy crap, how did we make such a mess?"

Apparently that plate she had thrown at him had shattered, and her torn clothes were everywhere. Their impromptu medic station, complete with bloody gauze and hand towels, was still set up. The whiskey had been knocked over too.

_At least the alcohol overpowers the sex smell._

"Darcy! I can hear you! Open the door already!"

"Just a second, geez!"

She tossed the clothes and as many pieces of the plate as she could find. The last of the hand towels were thrown over the puddle of whiskey. The door to her bedroom was slammed shut on Loki - no need for Jane too accidentally see a naked wannabe god in there.

"Jane!" she said with a large fake smile upon opening the door. "Happy to see you! What's up?"

The scientist breezed past her, her arms full of paper grocery bags. "Finally! I've been out here forever, worried sick! Why does it smell like booze in here?"

"I knocked a bottle over by accident and was too tired to clean it up." Not completely a lie. "What are the groceries for?"

Jane wrinkled her nose at the bloody gauze and things before setting the bags on the floor. "Thor isn't back yet, and I was going crazy worrying about both of you." Thankfully Jane began cleaning up the kitchen in the single-minded way she had when she was stressed. "So I got out of the apartment, went shopping for food, and then ended up here. Are you hungry? I have wine and pasta stuff."

"I have a feeling it wouldn't matter if I wasn't hungry." Darcy grinned and pulled out the bottle of wine. "So ah, how much pasta?"

"Plenty." Jane paused with a pot in her hand. "Why?"

Of course he chose that moment to walk out of the bedroom. And…well, not quite shirtless. Her ex obviously hadn't been as broad in the shoulders; Loki sauntered into the kitchen back in his filthy jeans and the shirt, sleeves rolled up and not buttoned.

Jane was speechless and wide-eyed. "Uhhh...Darcy…?"

Loki smirked. "Don't act so shocked, Dr. Foster."

"We escaped from the tower together," Darcy quickly clarified before things got out of hand. "There wasn't anywhere else for him to go."

"That's not entirely true," he said, enjoying the furtive glances Jane was throwing at him. "But it was the most convenient."

"Don't let him fool you," Darcy poured wine for all of them. "He almost bled out."

"I was perfectly fine."

"You were the opposite of fine."

She caught the 'wheels turning' look Jane was giving them and cleared her throat. "Need any help with that pasta?"

"Just the wine, thanks," she said and took a long drink from the glass Darcy handed to her. "Keep that coming."

"That seems to be a theme tonight."

Jane's brows drew together in confusion "What do you mean?"

"Nothing!" Darcy said and forced another smile.

_There is not enough wine in the world to deal with this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted this later than I wanted to, but there was some unforeseen BS today. Anyway, I hope you're all doing well after this chapter. ;)
> 
> Heads up: next chapter will likely not be posted until late Saturday as I will be without internet access until then.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short one, but has some intensity.

Darcy didn't know what was more awkward: Jane's staring or how Loki put away the huge portion of pasta he'd taken. His table manners were perfect. Yet something about the dispassionate efficiency was just…creepy. Machine-like. Did he even taste food, or was it just an inconvenient thing his body needed?

Jane had been chewing the same bite of garlic bread for a full two minutes now. Between her unease around Loki (plus his weirdo eating) and the suspicious looks she sent Darcy's way, something was going to crack. Probably her. Was it written on her face? Or was she , in turn, staring too much at Loki?

_Damn it, why does he have to be such a rage-inducing mix of annoying, attractive, and weird? Who wouldn't stare at him? Yeah. Why shouldn't I stare at him? Crap. Am I staring at him because he's attractive and great in the kitchen, or because I he's annoying?_

Her dinner was sitting like a rock in her stomach. Darcy downed her second glass of wine, accidentally slurping loudly in her need to be very, very drunk.

Loki wrinkled his nose at the sound. "Could you be any more…"

"More what?" Jane and Darcy asked at the same time.

"Boorish."

Their mouths dropped and they sat in stunned silence.

"Boorish!"

"Oh good, you're not deaf."

"At least I don't eat like a robot!" Darcy countered. "Do you even like food?"

Loki wiped his mouth with a paper napkin and reclined in his seat. "Preprocessed tomato sauce and overcooked noodles do not an appetizing meal make."

"If I wasn't stuck playing babysitter, I would throw you out on your ass right now."

She couldn't tell if he was baiting her into another argument, or just being honest. Was this normal behavior for Loki? It couldn't be. He was supposed to be charming in his manipulation.

But how well did she really know Loki? How well did anyone?

"Excuse me for not being a professional chef," Jane tossed her napkin on the table and then laughed. "This is what I get for being polite. You responded better to being slapped."

Darcy's eyes went wide. "Whaaaat? When did this happen?"

"Back in Asgard. When we were breaking him out of prison. You're welcome by the way."

Loki's eyes narrowed. "I more than repaid that debt."

"And yet you're still tormenting Thor for something he had no part in."

Darcy had no idea what they were talking about, but the tone was getting heavy. She scooted her chair back and escaped to the kitchen. There had to be more wine she stashed from herself somewhere. Anything stronger was no good - the thought of more whiskey or even vodka made her feel like throwing up without the benefits.

There was no more wine, but Darcy did find some shitty light beer in the back of the fridge. Jane came in just as she was twisting off the cap.

"Are you okay?" Jane asked and stole the beer from her.

Darcy threw her hands in the air and sighed. "Besides because of him? Yeah. Why?"

"Eurgh." Jane squeezed an eye shut after tasting the beer and passed it back. "You were looking pale and then just left."

Darcy shrugged and began chugging the beer.

Jane was staring again, only it was in her Concerned Mom way. "Darcy, what happened today?"

She tossed the empty bottle into the recycling bin and cringed at the loud crash of glass on glass. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Our ordinary, you mean."

Darcy gathered the cuffs of her rumpled sweater in hand and crossed her arms tightly around herself. Her smile made Jane's look worse. Her throat burned.

"Darcy," Jane whispered and suddenly there were skinny arms around her too, holding her close.

"Is it…" Darcy paused and swallowed. "Is it okay if I don't talk about it?"

Jane nodded, her hair rubbing against Darcy's face made it begin to frizz. Her voice was muffled and tinged with teasing accusation. "Why do I get the feeling that you would rather talk about Loki than the tower?"

Darcy's laugh became stuck and she looked to the bland white ceiling for reprieve. "I hate him, Jane."

It was her turn to sigh. "Oh, Darcy."

They parted and Darcy ran her hands through her hair, letting them become entangled. She shook her head. "I know. I've lost my damn mind."

"Pretty much," Jane agreed. "You know, if he ends up seriously hurting you, there won't be anything left for Thor to tear apart after I'm done with him."

Darcy gave a true smile. "Thanks. That makes me feel better."

Jane grinned and put an arm around her friend. "Come on. We'll watch a TV and get progressively more drunk. Where do you keep the popcorn?"

 

In a comfortable, warm stupor of popcorn, rum, and a nest of blankets, Darcy and Jane fell asleep on the couch to the dulcet tones of Downton Abbey and Loki's criticism's. She woke up twice.

The first time was not from the nightmare, but rather from Jane shaking her awake and looking frantic. Apparently whatever she'd been doing in her sleep had scared the shit out of the scientist. Loki had even peered at her through apprehensive eyes, his own nap on the floor having been disturbed.

Jane quieted the apologies and marched her to the bedroom. The woman helped her shaky limbs out of her sweat-soaked sweater and into a clean t-shirt. They curled up in her bed together and fell back into a calm sleep.

The second time, Darcy was brought into consciousness in a hazy, confused mess by voices that kept forgetting to be hushed.

Jane was crouched with her ear to the door.

"Jane, what - ?"

"Shh!" She beckoned Darcy over.

Still confused, mostly about why she shouldn't be freaking out by unaccounted for voices in her apartment, she joined the scientist. Jane put a finger to her lips and mouthed _Loki and Thor_. She lightly tapped the door with the pad of her finger.

"You had no right!"

"I had no right?" That was Thor. He must have finally wrapped up the nastiness at the tower. No doubt one of the bracelets Loki wore had a tracking device in it and led him to Darcy's apartment.

"Loki, mother is gone."

"And so you thought that piecing off her garden was a good idea? And to a mortal, no less!"

Darcy glared at the door.

"Holding on to the physical will not bring her back," Thor hissed. "Mother would have loved Lady Darcy. They share the same fire. It is wrong of you to cheapen her memory with petty contempt."

"Perhaps you ought to think with your head for once, Thor," Loki growled through his teeth. "Instead of your muscles or cock!"

There was a sound of wood scraping on wood and a dull thud.

"Why must you continue to antagonize me, Loki?" Thor asked, sounding like he was desperate. "I lost you twice. I thought we had moved past the animosity. I thought we had forgiven each other!"

This was definitely not a conversation they should be listening to. Jane was gnawing at her thumb nail and staring at the floor. Darcy felt distinctly uncomfortable, but there was nothing they could do to make them stop. Maybe they needed to have this argument. As long as one or both didn't end up dead in her apartment. The landlady would not be pleased.

"You walk free. You do as you please, even go so far as to renounce your claim to Asgard." Loki sounded…tired. Angry and tired, like this was a conversation that kept him awake at night and never resolved itself. "Wherever I go, I am still a prisoner. I wear shackles and live in a tower. My mortal guards serve as a constant insult, and I am forced to serve them to protect a planet I have no loyalty to. This…so called ease of punishment has been served to me as a reward for my involvement in the golden son's plan to save the universe."

"You need to let go of this anger in your heart," came Thor's sad voice.

Loki laughed, bitter. "Right. As you so love to remind me, this is all my own doing."

"No, Loki."

_"Don't say that to me!"_

"Keep your voice down!"

There was another dull thud, like someone giving up and letting their head bounce against the wall their brother was holding them up against.

"I don't want to give up on you again," Thor said. "You died in my arms just as I thought I had my brother back. _Look_ at me. Loki."

"Let go of me, Thor. This conversation is over. Take me back to what's left of the tower and we can continue to avoid one another until the next time we a forced to be in the same room together."

They were quiet for a long time.

There was a soft knock on the bedroom door. Darcy bolted and dived into the bed. Jane waited for a few seconds, and then pretended to be sleepy when she opened the door. Darcy turned her closed eyes away from the sudden light.

"Thor. You're back, finally."

"Yes. I am sorry to have worried you. All is well. How fares Lady Darcy?"

"Tired. She's sleeping the day off."

"Good. Will you be staying here tonight?"

"Yeah, I think I better. You'll take of Loki?"

Peeking through her hair, Darcy saw his shadow on the wall nod. "Yes."

"Okay." She heard them exchange a quick kiss. "I'll see you in the morning at my place."

"Goodnight, Jane."

"Goodnight, Thor. Stay safe."

The bedroom door closed, bathing them in darkness once more. Thirty seconds later and the apartment door closed as well.

"Well."

Darcy sat up. "Yeah. Shit."

Jane crawled into the bed next to her. "I feel bad for listening."

"Me too. I thought I had family issues, but damn."

"Yeah…" Jane pulled her knees up and pressed her chin into them. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep after that."

Darcy nodded. She was definitely tired, exhausted even. And yet.

She looked to Jane. "What are your feelings on pancakes and bacon? Lots of bacon."

"Make it waffles."

Darcy grinned and they shook hands. "Done."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the last chapter was getting way longer than my outline anticipated...so surprise! This is not the end! Hooray!
> 
> I'm mostly glad because having it end with 9 chapters was really bothering me...

Darcy and Jane spent the next few hours at a diner a few blocks away. They ate and drank themselves stupid on waffles, eggs, bacon, and coffee until the sun began to put color back into the sky. Jane received a text from Tony that was really from Thor because he had yet to not smash or lose every communication device he was given. Darcy spent another hour at the diner by herself, watching the early morning regulars trickle in and listening to their everyday problems. With her belly full and mind wired, being surrounded by normal people and their murmurs was soothing.

Eventually, she left to step back into the exposed world. With no place else to really go or anything to do, Darcy wandered until she reached the park. In the early morning hours, there were mostly just joggers around.

_Hopefully they take their dead body patrolling seriously,_ Darcy thought to herself, and then shuddered. _Why do I think of these things? Honestly._

Needing a bit more noise and life, she headed for the duck pond. There was plenty of noise there. She liked the array of water fowl, but the swans were her favorite. The black ones were particularly beautiful when they weren't bothering her for food.

She had not expected a familiar face to take the seat next to her on the bench. In fact, she had not expected to see this particular face outside of a lab for anything less than grade-A Authentic Indian or Thai food.

"Fancy seeing you here, Dr. Banner," she said, eying him with amusement. "Are you checking up on me?"

He appeared more at ease than she expected. Maybe it was the setting.

"Partially," Bruce said, and nudged the more insistent birds away. "I actually come here a lot. Well. More than any other place outside of the tower. Not a lot of people around at this hour."

"So I've noticed." Darcy pulled her legs up onto the bench and crossed them. Her hands rubbed each knuckle in turn and then started over when she ran out. "You know, I used to think all this quacking was annoying."

"Now it just…keeps everything else quiet?" Bruce guessed.

She picked at her cuticles. "You saw the security footage."

Not a question. Definitely not a question. Of course the footage of the breach would need to be reviewed, and Tony would absolutely love any and all of the interesting bits.

_Me taking out a few dozen people is not an everyday thing. That probably counts as interesting._

"Some of it. I'm not good at watching that sort of thing."

Darcy snorted. "I'm pretty good at reality TV, as it turns out."

Bruce nodded. A breeze ruffled his hair; the man need a haircut, badly. "You certainly shocked a lot of people."

Darcy pulled a face. "How many people watched it?"

"The way I hear it, Maria brought it straight to Tony. I walked in on him reviewing it with Natasha and Clint. They both were quite impressed with you."

"It's easy to impress people that don't have any high expectations of you in the first place."

Bruce laughed. "I thought I was supposed to be the brooding one?"

Darcy shook her head. "Oh, that top honor is still yours. I'm hardly on your guys' level. Of anything."

Bruce turned his body to face her. "Darcy. We work with circumstances. Things happen that others can't control - hell, half the time we can't control them either. We do the best with what we've got, same as anyone else. Same as you did yesterday."

"How do you…deal with this?"

Bruce didn't ask what she meant. He already knew.

"We ended up in the same park, on the same bench, hiding in the same flock of ducks. How do you think I deal with it?"

She couldn't help the wry grin that grabbed onto the side of her mouth and pulled.

"Poorly."

Bruce grinned back. "Pretty much."

"Maybe I'll quite the tower, spend my days out here, and knit the Hulk a sweater," she said and untucked one leg to bounce ball against ground, up and down. "I'll teach you if you want."

He thought about that for a minute. "Not a terrible idea. But you know, I think everyone would kill each other without your coffee to placate them."

She leaned her head back and laughed at the sky. "That's the best you can come up with? You're really bad at this."

"I thought I was doing pretty good up until then."

"Yeah, up until then."

"So you're going to hate me when I ask about Loki then, huh?"

Darcy stopped grinning and looked at him with surprise. "What about him? What did he say?"

"Nothing. That's why I'm asking."

Her leg bounced harder. "There's nothing to tell. We were boxed in, and then fought our way out. He was hurt, and since there was nowhere else to go, I took him to my place."

"Did you know that was the first time he's been out of the tower since he got here? That's six, almost seven months stuck with walls around you."

"So?" Darcy was confused. "He spent like a year in Asgardian prison, didn't he? At least Thor said so."

"Yeah, and then he died. Sort of. Then it was right back between the walls. Nicer, more numerous walls, but still the same."

Loki had said as much to Thor. Darcy still didn't feel sorry for him. Not really. Not when he was still on Earth and able to throw mortals around, HYDRA or otherwise.

"What's your point, Doc?"

Bruce shrugged a shoulder. "Well, what would you do in his situation?"

"I don't know, what do sociopaths do when they're free?"

"Besides dream of being free? Not much."

Darcy sighed and picked bits of rock out of her shoe sole. "Still. What's your point?"

"My point is that I'm wondering why he stayed at your apartment when he could have left at any time. No offense."

"None taken." Darcy chewed on her thumb nail and forced herself to stop fidgeting, leg bounce and all. She looked back at Bruce with a frown. "Does it matter why? As long as he didn't hurt anyone, why does it matter why he stayed?"

"Because I'm not so sure he didn't hurt anyone."

There was something just poking its head out of an angry darkness in his voice. Darcy had never heard him like that before. It flicked at her own anger, the fuse she was only starting to kick dirt on. She leaned forward and glared. She was an idiot for doing it, but he had pissed her off and Darcy was terrible at thinking logically when she was in such a state.

"Don't take that tone with me. You make me not scared of you when you talk like that." Darcy sat back, but kept the glare. "You have no idea how fucked in the head I am right now, and no it is not his fault. Loki is an ass and a basket case, but this was all me. If there's anything else on your mind about what happened you should probably start thinking it's none of your business. Now, if you and I push each other too much, that's on you."

To his credit, he lost the hard look in his eye and apologized.

"Sorry. The Other Guy gets a little…" Bruce made a fist. "Especially when it comes to Loki. The Princess isn't terrible when his mind is occupied, but he's got a monster in him just the same as me."

_Probably not as fun to play with as Loki's._

"Oh my god." Darcy rubbed her eyes and heaved a breath. It was not as calming as she had hoped.

"What?"

She laughed, and then laughed again at the worry in his face. "Nothing." Darcy touched her temple and then flicked her fingers away. "In the head, remember?"

"It'll wear off. Maybe."

"If I'm lucky?"

Bruce grinned and nodded. "If you're lucky."

 

Darcy left Bruce to the mercy of the birds. She wasn't sure how she felt about their conversation, but the companionable quiet they shared after wasn't so bad. Maybe she really would teach him how to knit. Everyone needed a mind-occupying hobby other than their own rage monster, whatever color it happened to be.

_Shit, maybe I ought to teach Loki._

And wasn't that an interesting thing for Dr. Banner to acknowledge having in common with him? Darcy mulled the thought over as she ambled along the paths, dodging power-walking mothers with strollers, rollerbladers, and the odd food cart.

_I guess he's not wrong._

The next question to ask herself made Darcy's hands start to sweat and her stomach think about flipping around.

_How bad is my rage monster?_

 

Darcy went to work on Monday morning.

She knew when her alarm went off that deciding to go in was a bad idea. Yet the thought of trying to occupy herself for another whole day, alone, wouldn't do much for her sanity.

Weaving around the construction workers and their equipment wasn't so much an issue as an annoyance, but stepping into the lobby had her wishing that she had more sense in her head to spare for self-preservation - maybe Loki would let her borrow some.

The noise of power tools and nail guns did not mix well with the essentially unchanged scenery of chaos that she had left it in. Sure, there was no blood on the floor or walls which was nice, but leaving it probably wouldn't have upped her heart rate any higher than it was already.

Darcy made a beeline for the elevator and pressed her back into a corner. The breath she had been holding came out in a rush when the doors closed.

There was still the problem of where she was going to go. Certainly not to the lab - just the thought made her heart stutter.

She hit the button for Level 22. Using the shiny metal as a mirror, Darcy examined her face. No out of the ordinary sweating yet. Color was a little white, but not unreasonable. Her eyes were dilated and looked kind of freaked out. Could she hide that?

The doors opened. Darcy stepped out and tried not to look too hard at her surroundings on the way to the conference room. Either people would be there to focus her, or else she could hide for the rest of the day.

People were in the room all right. Mostly those she knew, but also a handful of she didn't, all with their backs turned away from the door and attention trained on the far wall. Security footage was playing with a soundtrack of various people having side conversations; for that she was thankful. Darcy slipped into the room behind them all.

She watched with interest as the footage showed how HYRDA had gotten inside the building in the first place.

"See, right there." A tall woman whose voice Darcy thought she recognized rewound the footage and zoomed in on a frozen frame.

"Like I said yesterday, all the access codes for the day were legitimate," the woman said. "Which means - "

"Someone is going to have a very bad day," Tony finished for her. He was looking particularly grumpy for the morning hour, not that anyone would be able to blame him. The cut and bruise on his face (and likely more in other places) probably were not helping.

Darcy wondered who in their right mind would be a mole for HYDRA inside Stark Tower.

_Well, that's the thing isn't it? HYDRA is crazy as hell._

The footage rolled on, flitting between shots of HYDRA soldiers swarming the building and the unfortunate things that happened to the people that stood in their way.

"What were they looking for?" Tony ruffled the hair on the back of his head and looked away, aggravated.

"Could be anything. Or everything," the woman answered. "This place is a toy palace filled with any number of interesting things they can't normally get their hands on."

More scenes flitted by; doors being blown in on the restricted floors, weekend crews trying to evacuate or shore up their defenses with varying success, lots of little fires setting off the sprinkler systems, pods of the security force slowly gaining back space on some of the floors, Darcy capping someone in the knee…

Darcy crossed her arms and stared ahead. There was a lot more footage of her and Loki than she thought. She hardly recognized herself, and it wasn't because of the grime and blood. She started counting how many men she hit, and then had to stop. Everything was starting to feel cold and numb.

"Whoa!" Someone she didn't recognize laughed. The sound grated, made her twitch. "Isn't that one of the assistant lab rats? Damn."

"Yeah, that's Dani."

This was the point in the day where she snapped.

_"My name is Darcy!"_

Everyone in the room turned to stare at her with wide eyes. Apparently volume control had not been set to Inside Voices. Darcy hardly cared.

"D-A-R-C-Y," she clarified, confident now that she had everyone's attention. "Get it right!"

Clint was smirking like a fool. Everyone else went on gaping while Other Darcy continued calmly dropping soldiers on the screen. Present Darcy dug her fingers into her palms and covered the shaking with her glare.

"Darcy Lewis." The woman that had been talking to Tony approached her and held out her hand. "Maria Hill. Nice to officially meet you."

Darcy briefly shook Maria's hand. "Yeah, you too. Glad to see you alive. I guess former SHIELD agents really are hard to kill."

Maria grinned. "You're not so bad at that yourself. Could I ever tempt you with a spot on my team? You've got some real potential."

"No," was her immediate answer. "Nope. Definitely not. Thanks though. I'm good. Totally good."

"If you change your mind…"

Darcy tried to clear her throat of the thing that was trying to choke her. "No. Ah, would you mind turning that off?"

"Ookay!" Tony clapped his hands and motioned towards the door. "Everyone out. Show's over for today. Go on!, Out, out, out! You too, Hill."

"Bu - "

"Nope." Tony hurried her out after everyone and shut the door. He turned and approached Darcy. "Breathe, hun."

Darcy leaned against the conference table, or more like sagged.

"I can't," she said and shook her head. Her chest felt heavy and constricted as if someone were sitting on it.

Tony cursed and looked around. "Okay, here," he said and ushered her into a closet.

"Why does a conference room have a closet?" Darcy asked and took of her glasses to rub at her eyes. The real world was starting to look weird. Or maybe that was tunnel vision. Wasn't Tunnel vision usually a bad sign?

Tony closed the door, leaving them in the dark with only the light from the seams. "Was a weapons cache before Saturday."

Darcy's jaw clenched. "Oh, god…"

"Darcy? Hey, come on, listen to me," he said and shuffled around her. "Sit down, get comfortable."

With no better options, she did as he said and brought her knees to her chest, nails dug into her ankles. Tony's shoulder pressed against hers in the cramped space, and he accidentally elbowed her in the arm, a bullseye right to the heavily bruised area of the gunshot wound. The cursing was loud and mostly gibberish.

"Sorry! Sorry. Here." Something small and wrapped in rubber wires was put in her hand. The feel of it was familiar. "I dug it out of your desk. Or what was left of your desk. It's kind of banged up, but I fixed most of the damage and redownloaded everything. And, if I may say so, you have the most eclectic taste in music that I've ever seen. You should probably have your head examined."

"You don't ever shut up do you?"

"Not usually no."

Darcy eased her grip on the iPod and clawed the earbud cords into proper order. The familiar weight of it was comforting, and even though the sudden glow of the screen blinded them for a good minute the pain was well worth the price of hearing the first song in her favorite playlist. Normalcy. That was the ghost of the feeling coming back to her.

"Thanks, Mr. Stark."

Tony shuddered. "We're sharing a closet. That usually means the other person should probably start calling me Tony."

Darcy huffed a laugh and offered him the other ear bud. "Small revenge for hacking into my iTunes account."

He grinned and stuck the bud in his ear. "Yeah, we need to have a talk about your choice in media players."

"I've got time." Darcy held up her hand and watched it tremble in the glow of the iPod. Breathing was getting easier. "Any idea when this stops? I get the feeling this has happened to you before."

"Do you feel like you're back in your own body yet?"

That was a hell of a way to describe it. But not inaccurate. "I'm getting there."

"You'll be fine soon. Just take it easy. Where do you find this…whatever I'm listening to?"

Darcy skipped the song only because there was a high-pitched sound effect that was really not doing any favors for the anxiousness.

"I didn't know you were so delicate."

"You are so lucky that you're likable. And apparently know how to shoot me in face."

"Could you not bring that up?" She motioned around them. "I am hiding in a dark closet, practically curled up on the floor."

"I wasn't kidding about the head exam. I don't recommend Bruce as the therapeutic type either."

"Really? We had a pretty good talk yesterday morning."

Tony's mouth fell open, aghast. "…That son of a bitch."

"I think the venue might have had something to do with it, but he'd probably Hulk Smash me for telling you where to find him."

"Psh, I can figure that out on my own." They sat in relative silence for a record thirty seconds. "But really, how crazy are you now?"

Darcy gaped at him. "…I don't even know how to answer that. Like on a scale of Steve Rodgers to you?"

That made him snort. "I am definitely not the high end of the spectrum in the this tower. Bag of Cats tops that list. I'm near-death experience crazy. He's legitimately screwed up in the head. I think it's the immortality thing. Speaking of The Horned One, what's up with that thing between you?"

She had to assume he was talking about Loki.

"What thing? There is no thing."

"You're a really bad liar, Lewis." You took him back to your apartment and you're going to tell me nothing happened? Judging by the footage, he just finished having the best time he's had in months and then takes a jaunt into the open world with you. What is that even like?"

Darcy blinked and frowned, trying to keep up with the man's train of thought - the damn thing must have been a bullet train.

"Does anyone ever actually talk to him…?"

Tony paused. "Not that I know of. He's so…"

"Abrasive?"

"Sure, if you want to be polite about it."

"Oh no, I get what you mean. I really do."

"So what gives? Between wanting to kill each other or everything around you, there seemed to be some chumminess there."

Darcy growled and let her head thump against the back wall. "Why is everyone so interested in this?"

"Because it's an anomaly. Girl meets Psycho, hate and badassery commences, and then Psycho and Girl run off merrily into the city."

"You just described every romantic comedy ever. That's hardly an anomaly."

"You have a point, but mine is better. It's different because we're talking about Loki and you. No offense, but this is the least expected thing ever which probably means he planned it."

Darcy laughed. "Bullshit. There's no way. Too many variables that he wouldn't have been able to predict."

"…All right, you being good with a gun - I said no offense! - was definitely out of left field. But - "

She shook her head. "Nope. Maybe some of it was for shits and giggles, but I don't see what the ultimate gain was. If he wanted me, he could have done it here. And if he wanted out of the tower, he had plenty of opportunity to figure out how to fool his bracelets and ditch me. He didn't do either."

"…Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up. What do you mean 'if he wanted me'?"

Darcy skipped the next song to buy herself a fraction of a second of time, but she had nothing to throw back at him.

"Something did happen! Oh my god. What did you two do? You did the Midsection Mambo, didn't you? HOW? _Why?_ What the hell?? Holy shit. He likes you. That's why he stayed, he _likes_ you!"

She couldn't do anything except laugh at that. "No, he doesn't. We hate each other! We have nothing in common, and he's a crazy bastard like you said. I'm done trying to get inside his head. It's weird there."

"Hate sex, eh? Man, that's the best…"

"Please stop picturing whatever you're picturing."

"Sorry." He blinked at her. "Not really. Don't tell Pepper."

"As long as you keep your Darcy/Loki theories to yourself you have a deal."

"Done!"

Someone opened the closet door and they were blinded again.

"Are you two done doing whatever it is you're doing in here?"

It was Natasha. Today was just getting better and better - not that she didn't like the Black Widow. Darcy had never had a conversation with her. There may have been some fangirling in the past, and being found in a closet with Tony Stark was really not how a first impression should go.

"Actually - "

Natasha addressed Darcy directly. "Is he done badgering you?"

The urge to say 'Yes ma'am!' was strong. Being called ma'am was definitely not something that seemed appropriate for this particular woman. Steve could keep his ma'am's.

"Yeah, we're done here." Darcy stood and accidentally-on-purpose wrenched the ear bud out of Tony's ear.

"Augh! And here I was going to be extremely generous towards you, but now I see that I'm not wanted…"

Natasha and Darcy eyed him with suspicion.

"What's your definition of 'generous'?" the Black Widow demanded.

"Would you stand up and get out of the closet, please?" Darcy added. "This will probably go better if you don't look like a little kid hiding from his scary mother."

"I swear if either of you start cracking in the closet jokes…" Tony brushed himself off and with a jump, he commandeered a seat on the conference table. The feet swinging did not rectify the child part of Darcy's comment.

"This place needs a karma cleansing, get the bad taste out of everyone's mouth, you know? So!" Tony clapped his hands together. "I'm throwing a party tonight. Here. In the tower. For anyone who wants to be here."

"You have parties all the time. What's so generous about this?" Natasha asked and crossed her arms like she was expecting more from this.

"Did I forget to mention that you're taking Daisy here shopping?"

"Do you want to die?" Darcy asked, not so much upset by the idea of shopping, but because he was deliberately not using her name.

"Good question," Natasha agreed. "I don't work for you, Stark."

"Ehhh, not yet you don't. Different conversation, different time." Tony waved that all away. "And I'm offering you the finest bottle of ridiculously expensive Russian Vodka in my collection. You've seen my collection, so you know it's the honest-to-god good stuff."

"Done."

Darcy's brows went up. That was all it took to bribe the Black Widow?

_That must be some damn good booze._

"Oh!" Tony dug in his pocket and produced a card to hand to Natasha. It was fancy-looking cardstock, the durable stuff that would make Patrick Bateman cream his shorts. "Go there, give them the card, and get whatever you want. This is the generous part. Maybe I should have started with that."

Darcy looked between them. "Can I ask why I need a babysitter for shopping?"

"Because you need support if you have another panic attack," Natasha answered without looking away from Tony. "Or protection."

Something passed between them, like a mental cue, and Darcy wasn't sure if she should be worried or not. What did they see about her that she didn't already know?

"Protection for me or from me?"

Natasha looked to Darcy and grinned. "Maybe we'll find out."

"Okay, you two have your marching orders!" Nat gave him his last warning glare and Tony only smiled at her. "Go on, then. Try and have some fun. I've got to go tell Pepper that she needs to plan a party. Ta!"

"You really do have a death wish."

Natasha nodded. "Come on. We have money spend."

Darcy followed her out of the room at a brisk walk. Her head was reeling a little. She was going shopping with Agent Romanov on Tony Stark's dime, and she was pretty sure he was trying to get her laid.

_This is going to be interesting._


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is. The last chapter. It's been a great ride, and I thank you all for your Kudos and wonderful, encouraging comments. I hope that whenever you hear Shut Up and Dance you will fondly remember Darcy and Loki, and their little adventure that we shared together. <3

Darcy discovered that Natasha and Tony shared a love for wildly expensive sports cars. The agent rolled up in front of the tower in a dark gray Porsche. Shiny, clean lines. Darcy didn't know much about cars, but she could greatly appreciate the aesthetic of shiny, clean lines, leather and metal, and a vaguely menacing aura that gave off the impression of 'get in or get the fuck out of the way'.

_Huh. Kind of reminds me of Loki. Weird._

She also wasn't a lesbian, but Nat was definitely making her understand the male fascination of cars and beautiful (dangerous) women.

"…This is possibly the sexiest car I've ever seen."

Natasha smirked and pushed the passenger door open. "Get in, loser. We're going shopping."

Darcy put a hand to her fluttering heart as she got in. "I think I just fell in love with you."

They pulled away from the curb with Natasha's laughter purring along with the engine. Even with the traffic, she loved rolling down the streets in a powerful car, feeling the air tease her hair and the engine itching to take her somewhere else very, very quickly. Darcy traced the smooth paint on the top edge of the door.

"Nice, right?"

Darcy looked to Natasha and grinned. "Nice doesn't really cut it."

"No it does not," she agreed. "Being on an open road would be better, but the city has its merits too."

"How often do you steal one of Tony's babies and get out of the city?"

Her smirk was back. "Often enough."

"Would it be weird if I asked to tag along some time?"

Natasha eyed Darcy for a moment. "Depends on how productive this trip is."

 _Should have known._ She chuckled and shook her head. _The vodka was just a really good bonus._

"I'm not going to pretend that I don't know what you mean by 'productive.'"

"Good start." She pulled up outside a series of storefronts and swung herself out of the car. The keys were tossed to a slack-jawed lad who was just lucky enough to have been walking down the street.

"Be a dear and park it, would you?" Natasha graced him with a wink.

Yep, Darcy was definitely in love with the woman. She got out of the car in the boring normal way of opening the door.

"What if he steals the damn thing?"

"I'd find him."

 _I wonder if that would be a good or bad thing for him,_ Darcy thought as she spared a look over her shoulder to the guy. He felt everything on the car with a reverent touch. Seemed like it was in decent hands.

That small worry at rest, Darcy gave the shops a once-over in search of the place they had been pointed towards. She did a double-take and then laughed. The reason wasn't because she couldn't find the place, or that Tony had sent them on a wild goose chase.

Darcy had expected one of those fancy shops with the perfectly white, cream, and gold themes. The kind of places that served their wealthy patrons champagne and macrons while they trotted out the latest designer lines. She expected somewhere that screamed "Money Required to Enter."

Every shop on the block was like that in one way or another. Except the one they had been sent to. Sure, the place had gold in it, but also a beautiful deep green and black. The display window had no mannequins or staged scenes filled with shabby-chic or clean and shiny and new furniture. Instead, people sat in comfortable leather chairs, chatting while enjoying beer and wine. Tony's recommended shop was a big middle finger in the center of the money fist, and because of that it was perfectly Tony. Darcy laughed for thinking the man could ever be a predictable rich guy. That package would be too normal and boring.

"Hi! Come on in!" Was the cheerful greeting belayed to them from a woman, one of the people having a beer. "Someone should be around pretty quick to help you out."

"Do you work here?" Darcy asked, mostly out of curiosity.

The woman shrugged. "Might as well since I'm here often enough. Beer?"

"Yeah, I'll take one," Natasha said and thanked the woman when she was brought frosty bottle from the clear-faced fridge…which was next to a kick-ass looking mini bar. Not the hotel kind of mini bar, but an actual rail bar that was just…smaller than the average one, bottles of liquor and all.

"I'm all right," Darcy said, holding up a hand to pass on a nonverbal offering. "Something tells me I'll be drinking enough later."

"Hello, hello, hello!" A spritely young woman with half red and half black hair came along from the back of the shop, her heels clicking against the dark hardwood floors. "Welcome! I'm Deirdre and this is my place. Is there something I can help you ladies find today? You look like you've got a mission."

Darcy grinned. "You could say that."

"Tony Stark is throwing a party tonight," Natasha said and held out the card for the woman to take. "Told us to come here, so we're here."

Deirdre's face lit up even more, if that was possible. "Ah, I see! Well, we can certainly help you there. Come, come!"

Darcy was the type to save up for shopping trips, which meant she knew what she wanted before even stepping into a mall. She liked to think she was no slouch when it came to picking out her outfits and planning ahead. Deirdre was putting her to shame without the slightest sign of effort.

The woman wheeled two metal racks around the shop and loaded them up with everything imaginable, all the while firing off questions and filling in the rest with lectures on the importance of silhouettes and knowing one's way around a hem.

"What are you hoping for tonight, Ms. Darcy?"

"Uh…"

"Yeah, Darcy," Natasha asked as she leaned against a brick pillar and sipped her beer. "What are you hoping for tonight?"

"Looking like I'm not trying too hard and that I didn't drop a grand of someone else's money on an outfit?"

"Ha!" Deirdre threw her head back when she laughed. "Just one grand? Just one outfit? My darling, we are going to educate you today on the fine art of spending Tony Stark's money. And, I suspect, on how to captivate a man's attention without him knowing what hit him."

Darcy's heart rate spiked and she dropped the impossibly soft sweater sleeve she had been groping. "Who said anything about a man?"

"You did," was the twin answer from both Deirdre and Natasha.

"You're a terrible liar," Deirdre added.

Natasha agreed. "You really are. Maybe I'll help you fix that."

"And now I know why he sent us here."

Deirdre giggled and hung another jacket and trousers on the rack that Darcy assumed was hers. "Mr. Stark and I are very alike in our nosiness. Now, what's his name? What is he like?"

"Luke," Natasha answered before Darcy could say anything. "He's tall, dark-haired, kind of vampire-looking. Has a terrible ego and keeps to himself unless he's bored."

Deirdre snorted. "Classic bad boy, then?"

"Pretty much."

"I am right here, you know," Darcy said over her shoulder, and picked up a pair of wicked-looking heels. None of the items in the store had price tags. She wondered how many months of pay she had in her hands.

"We're talking about Luke, not you, darling," Deirdre said and guided her back towards the racks. "I hold my judgments for weekends at the bar. Now, you've got clothes to try on. You and Ms. Natasha take these racks to the back and get started."

The last thing Darcy was going to do was argue with the woman. The back room had some rather unconventional dressing rooms - in fact they weren't rooms at all. Flowing drapes the color of smoke hung from the high ceiling, forming their own enclosed spaces that felt like being inside a silky cocoon. Darcy wanted a dress made of the stuff just so she could twirl around in it. Or roll around when no one was looking.

"Do you like him?"

Darcy's hands paused in their attempt to zip up a skirt, and she looked up at the apex of her dressing cocoon. "It doesn't feel that simple."

She could just barely hear Natasha's chuckle. "No, it wouldn't be. Not with him. You know how the guys are still edgy around him?"

Darcy frowned and finished zipping herself up. "Yeah, hard not to notice. Barton I can understand. Tony too; I heard Loki threw him out of a window."

"From the top of the tower," Natasha confirmed. "Loki isn't an easy read for other men. His motivations are completely different than what the others are used to."

Darcy stuck her head out of the cocoon. "What do you mean? What do you see that the guys don't?"

Natasha was turning from side to side in front of a large set of gothic-looking mirrors. "You two slept together, right?"

"Literally and sexually. In a weird, totally messed up kind of way."

"Considering you both had just fought your way out of the tower and left an impressive body count behind, I wouldn't say it was that messed up."

Darcy stepped out of the protective confines of the drapes. "How is that not the most messed up thing ever?"

Natasha rolled her eyes to the ceiling and approached Darcy. Her hands began straightening the skirt and form-hugging top. "Loki comes from a different world, one that revolves around a warrior culture that doesn't exist on Earth anymore. Way back when, it wasn't uncommon to find a woman after battle and work out all that extra energy and stress."

Darcy looked in the mirror without really taking notice of the clothes she was wearing. "I guess that makes sense. So why am I here now playing dress up?"

"Because Tony doesn't know how else to help, and you don't know what else to do except follow his lead."

Her shoulders sagged. "You're not wrong."

Natasha crossed her arms and stared at her in the mirror. "It's okay to freak out, you know. Frankly, I'm pretty impressed that you look like you're handling your first defense mission so well. …For lack of anything better to call it."

Darcy sighed and unzipped the skirt on her way back to her cocoon. She stopped for a second and looked back. "This is probably a stupid question to ask you."

Natasha shrugged a shoulder. "Shoot."

"Did I do the right thing?"

"You did what you had to do." Natasha approached her slowly and stopped just a foot away, her eyes full of seriousness and holding Darcy's. "That's all there is to it. Don't let other people's theories on war and morality drag you into some place darker than you already are. Accept what happened and move on. That's all the advice I can give you."

"What about Loki?"

Natasha's grin came back. "Well, he's a crazy sonofabitch who could take you on a wild ride if you let him, and then he'll probably dump your ass on the side of the road without warning. But I think you're too smart for that version of events."

Now that was interesting. "Go on…"

"What the others don't realize is that he wants nothing to do with Earth anymore. Being locked up here is an embarrassment, not to mention boring as hell for a guy used to gallivanting around multiple planets and stirring up trouble. He hates humans, and yet he did the dirty with you."

"So?" Darcy didn't see what the big deal was. "He was a prince, right? Screwing a human is probably considered slumming it. That's a thing powerful people do to get off. I was there and it was convenient for releasing some of the pent up stress, like you said."

"As if Loki of all people is that simple. No, he's the type to hold a grudge really tight in his fist. Something about you caught his attention enough for him to throw that grudge out the window. My guess is that you've been in the back of his mind for a while now, eating away at him, and then boom. Couldn't hold back anymore."

Darcy blinked. "I'm not sure if that's flattering."

"A psychotic mass murderer is interested in you. That's the fact that the others see and they're freaking out pretty hard."

"You're starting to make _me_ freak out!"

"That's the sane reaction. Getting involved with Loki is a terrible idea."

"But? There's a definitely another but isn't there?"

Natasha's smirk would have put the Cheshire Cat - or Loki - to shame. "The fact that you're looking for a but says it all. You know, it might not be such a bad idea for him to get to know a human…give him a reason to not try anything stupid, maybe earn some trust and perks for good behavior."

"Maybe that's what he wants. Maybe that's the game."

Natasha nodded. "Sure. That's always a possibility. So what do you want and what are you willing to put up with?"

"I sure as shit am not going to let anyone play me. Not him and not anyone else." That was the only thing Darcy was sure of. "I think I've got to figure the first thing out still."

"How are you going to do that?"

"One step at a time," Darcy answered and smiled as Deirdre came back with another rack of clothing. "Deirdre, what have you got for me?"

Deirdre had underwear and dresses and shoes and perfume and everything Darcy wouldn't have thought of. Natasha, for her part, had the first step towards Darcy figuring out what she wanted.

"For what it's worth," the Widow said as she casually tapped out something on her phone. "I'm willing to back you up when necessary."

Darcy smiled at her from her position on a pedestal while Deirdre worked her hem magic. "Thanks. That makes me equally nervous and grateful."

"It should. Here, catch."

Darcy barely caught the phone. Confused, she held it up. The dial tone changed to ringing.

"Who did you call?" Darcy asked.

Her stomach flipped when a familiar, annoyed male voice answered.

"Is there a reason you've been plaguing my phone?"

Loki. Natasha had called Loki, and now Darcy was stuck holding the proverbial hot potato.

"Hello?"

"Hiii…! It's me, Darcy."

She couldn't tell if the silence on his end was good or bad or something completely different.

"Why are you calling me from that woman's phone?"

"I didn't have your number."

Natasha gave her a thumbs up for the smooth save. Well, it wasn't a lie. Honesty would probably be the best weapon to have in her arsenal.

"Are you going to be at Tony's party, or were you planning on hiding in your room all night?" Darcy asked, feigning her normal confidence. Or maybe it was making a comeback.

"Is there a reason I should make an appearance?"

"To make everyone else nervous and watch them squirm? I seem to have that effect on people now, and I figured you enjoyed that sort of thing."

"…What's the catch?"

"No catch. It's a party. Parties are supposed to be fun. Or a good place to get wrecked on someone else's alcohol at the very least. I'm pretty sure that's the whole point of this one in particular."

"Tell him to stop being such a pussy."

Darcy pressed the phone to her chest and hissed at Natasha, "You are not helping!"

"Tell Agent Romanov her pussy is big enough for the both of us," Loki responded in a bored tone.

"You know, until recently life was pretty decent for me. I'm not feeling any suicidal urges so you'll have to tell her yourself at the party."

"You sound very determined to see me at this party," he said with suspicion. "Why is that?"

"Believe it or not, I think you could use some fun that doesn't involve dead bodies."

"That's the best sort of fun, why would I settle for anything less?"

He sounded like he was actually pouting, or maybe just teasing. Darcy laughed anyway, surprising herself.

"That's not true and you know it." That was definitely her teasing.

Natasha and Deirdre picked up on her meaning and shared a chuckle.

"Look," she continued, not letting Loki have the chance to make a cutting remark. "Just come to the party. We can get drunk and mercilessly make fun of people. Maybe see if we can start a fight, take bets on who swings at who first."

Natasha raised a brow with interest. "Put it like that and tonight might be more fun than I gave it credit for."

Darcy shushed her.

"Tell me why you really want me to go."

Deirdre slapped Darcy's fingers away from their wrinkle-inducing fiddling.

"We should talk about what happened, and I don't think I can do that sober without having another panic attack."  
"Why is it that mortals need to talk about every little thing?"

"Well, at the very least you can enlighten me as to why I should move on and how easy that should be," Darcy answered and tried not to be terribly annoyed just yet - there was plenty of time for him to try her patience.

"…I'll think about it."

The call was disconnected. Strike two against Darcy's Wall of Patience for the day.

Natasha leaned forward. "Survey says…?"

"He said he'll think about it." Darcy looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. "Any insight, oh wise one?"

She bobbed her head from side to side while doing what Darcy imagined as complicated psychological formulas in her head. "Odds are good, I'd say. I would show up out of curiosity. He and I aren't terribly different in some areas."

That admission surprised Darcy. "Really?"

"Yeah." Natasha shrugged and leaned a shoulder against the wall. "We both think we're the smartest people in the room - Tony definitely has that going for him too. Except Loki and Tony flaunt it more than I need to. Loki is clever when it comes to planning ahead; behavior, predictability, manipulation…I think we're both shifting in the lead for that. But as far as mining intel, I blow him out of the water."

That seemed pretty accurate as far as she knew from stories and personal experience. Darcy made a mental note to keep all of that in mind whenever Natasha was in the room.

"Voila!" Deirdre said with a flourish of her hands and got to her feet. "A tuck here, a few stitches there, and we are in business. What do we think?"

Darcy twisted and turned with hands on her hips. "I didn't know leather and lace made such a cool combo on me. I'm digging the hood too."

Black was definitely her color. The dress was figure-hugging without being uncomfortably tight which was a blessing. The cut of the neckline accented the shape of her breasts rather than the cleavage (shout-out to the amazing bra Deirdre had fitted her for), and left the back open. The bolero had a large, deep hood that looked good up or down.

"I think…" Natasha said and pulled up one of the sleeves of the bolero to reveal Loki's neat stitch job and the bruising. "Yeah?"

Deirdre stroked her lower lip with a thumb and then nodded. "Shouldn't take more than ten minutes to alter. Off then! Deirdre has one last miracle to work for you, darling."

Darcy carefully shrugged off the garment and wondered who exactly she was playing dress up for.

 _I do look pretty bad ass,_ she admitted. _I think I'm okay with this._

Natasha's phone began vibrating and singing Hit Me With Your Best Shot in her hand. Darcy snorted and looked at the caller ID. An obviously not pre-approved photo of a grumpy Loki rolling his eyes displayed on the screen. She showed it to the other woman.

"Ooh! This is an interesting development. Answer it."

Darcy hesitated for a moment before answering. "Ghostbusters, whaddaya want?"

"I - wait, what nonsense is that?"

"Sorry," Darcy said through her laughter. She had never caught him off guard before, and hearing the confusion in his voice would probably never get old. "Older movie. What did you call for?"

"Just one question: what are you hoping for tonight?"

Well that was creepy. Was that a really such a common question to ask people? She would have to put her tin foil hat away for later.

"Hmm…" Honesty was her weapon against the King of Lies, right? "Conversation. Dancing. Alcohol. Anything to feel some normalcy, or however close I can get to that. I'm not a plan-ahead kind of girl. Mostly, I'm looking forward to seeing how things play out naturally."

"Why me?"

"That's two questions."

She could hear the shrug in his voice. "Humor me."

"Well…" Darcy drew a blank. It was a good question, one that had been in the back of her mind a lot over the past forty-eight hours. Why did she care about Loki, about the stupid way he was isolating himself from everyone? Worst of all, why did she not care about how ridiculously bad the idea of exploring this avenue was?

"Because there's something between us and I don't understand it. It's an it with a capital 'I'." Darcy scratched the back of her neck and started at the ceiling. "I don't know. I was hoping tonight would help me figure It out because not having It figured out is driving me crazy. Let me think about It and I'll let you know."

Loki was quiet again, his brain probably working on all the angles and motivations, whatever - if anything - he could gain from her. There was nothing that she could think of.

"Okay."

A simple word, and yet the way he spoke had it feeling heavy. The call was dropped again. Darcy wordlessly held the phone out to Natasha.

The woman didn't ask any more questions. In that moment, Darcy appreciated her ability to read people. She crossed her arms and idly brushed a thumb over the stitches, feeling the raised skin and dull sting.

 

Darcy thought about It in the hours between leaving Deirdre's and showing up a little more than fashionably late to the party. Natasha had treated her to cruising less populated streets as the sun steadily set. Sadly, she wasn't allowed to drive, but the purring of the car and passing urban scenery did wonders to clear the mind.

Pepper had worked a miracle in pulling off a party of such scale in the timeframe given - not to mention what it must have taken to wipe out the fear of the attack on the tower to get them voluntarily back inside. Then again, that was why she was who she was. The rubble was cleaned up, the plastic tarps, ragged holes, and torn up walls of the huge room made into accents instead of eyesores for a trendy "raw" theme. The noise and large crowd of the party was a surprising shock to the system after being so relaxed. Usually Darcy was all over this sort of thing and liked nothing better than to lose her mind between the dance floor and the bar. There were lights and a great quality DJ, people were laughing and smiling and enjoying themselves. Yet something about the exuberance felt desperate.

Natasha slipped into the shadowy parts of the room, presumably looking for Clint or someone else that was on her list to mingle with for the evening. Darcy hitched her wagon to a less crowded area near the end of the bar and knocked back a few tequila shots. She needed the proverbial oil to loosen up the tension before braving the crowd - a fear, as it turned out, that was soon eased. Jane and Thor found her first.

Jane was already half in the bag. The uncomfortable itch Darcy couldn't figure out how to scratch abated a little. Really, there was nothing quite like Jane Foster forgetting to be an educated and well-spoken woman.

"Daaaar-seeee!"

The unhindered way Jane half-hugged, half used Thor as a wall to lean on helped Darcy understand the desperation in the air. There was relief in doing something normal too, and a delicate trust that there was safety to be had.

Darcy smiled. "Someone's feeling pretty good, eh?"

"Yes." Jane held up her finger and shook it once. She nodded with mild seriousness. There was a strong and self-sufficient brainiac lab rat in there that wasn't giving up the fight completely. "Absolutely."

"Stark has been amusing himself by making a drinking game with Jane as the subject," Thor said with a mix of good humor and fond tolerance for Tony's games. "She must drink whatever he surprises her with."

The implications and consequences of the game made Darcy laugh. "What does she win before she passes out?"

"A lab with windows!" Jane answered, the woman's hand slapping her friend on the arm instead of what would have been a simple touch out of excitement had she been sober. "Filled with newer and better stuff. _So much stuff._ Darcy, it's going to be so pretty!"

"Cool, I'm really happy for you, Jane." She turned to Thor. "Your girlfriend is an adorable drunk. She should be like this more often."

Jane beamed. Thor laughed.

"I heartily agree."

"Just make her drink a bottle of water before she goes to bed, otherwise she's going to hate you a lot in the morning."

"Nah, as long as you've got a doctorate in chemistry you'll be fine. If you know what I mean," Tony said after popping up out of nowhere. Two shots of some dark-looking alcohol were in his hands. "FOSTER! Drink up."

Without argument, Jane took one of the glasses and they did a shot together. The petite woman coughed a little and shook her head. Thor chuckled and held her steady.

"What was that one?"

Tony smirked. "Do you really want to know?"

Drunk Jane thought about it. For a long time. Tony let her think and looked to Darcy.

"Nice threads. Deirdre treated you well, I presume?"

Darcy saluted him with a fresh drink. "You know it. Thanks, by the way. Really."

Tony's mouth twitched with sincerity before it was replaced by his usual Starkness. "I had ulterior motives - you would not believe how long it took to clean up all the hidden guns in this place."

Jane narrowed her glassy eyes. "You're kind of a dick."

"Funny, but very dickish," Darcy agreed.

"You are not wrong."

Thor shook his head. "We expect nothing less of you, Stark."

"Yeah, you'll have to figure out whether that's a good or bad thing on your own," Darcy said and wrapped an arm around Jane. "We've got a dance floor to tear up."

Jane snapped her fingers and pointed at Darcy again. "Yes. Yes we do."

Tony held a hand to his chest and theatrically spluttered. "You wound me!"

"You'll get over it." Darcy slammed back the rest of her drink and gave the man a firm pat on the chest. "Thor, keep an eye out for your brother for me."

That left both men flabbergasted. Jane and Darcy laughed and wormed their way into the mass of people (most of which neither were sure actually worked in the tower).

There was nothing quite like that moment of perfect equilibrium between alcohol hitting the blood stream and loud music twanging the relaxed nerves. Everything comes together to mix into a big, rubbery, exciting ball of "I don't give a fuck." The tightly wound knot between Darcy's shoulders unwound on the dance floor, and she finally felt free of all the stress and worry. The way her hair stuck to the sweat on her face didn't matter, nor did the creeping ache in her feet from the heeled boots. Louder music and more booze could fix that right up.

Jane smacked her on the shoulder and through laughter she pointed out a mildly inebriated Steve Rogers teaching Natasha how to dance like a man of his era in the current one. Of course the very-well paid DJ skillfully transitioned and built up track to really make him work it. Darcy didn't know what exactly was on Steve's list to study about the 21st century, but she was damn glad dancing was one of them.

The fact that music could change into something great and still keep strands of its past was comforting.

Darcy clapped and cheered them on with the rest of the crowd. Through the warm glow of alcohol and fun, something stroked down her spine and tickled at her neck. Darcy looked through the mass of bodies, searching for whoever was staring at her. She knew who it was, there couldn't be anyone else that could make a gaze have that effect.

Loki leaned with his back against the bar and elbows on the edges. One hand held a nearly empty glass. Black was definitely his color too, and not a wrinkle in sight. The simple shirt and tie looked good on him. He smirked when they made eye contact and raised the glass halfway in a salute.

Darcy left Jane on the dance floor with an excuse of getting another drink. Loki had a hell of a poker face, but she liked to think he had given the same once over she had to him. His attention was certainly zeroed in on her.

"You clean up well. A tie even." She was in the thick of things as far as alcohol and letting loose went; Darcy flicked the end of his dark tie, leaving it a fraction of an inch out of place. "They won't let you near anything with more…grandeur will they?"

Loki smoothed the tie and gave her a blasé look over the rim of his glass. Darcy ordered a drink that would take some sipping to get through.

"You're wearing enough leather for the both of us."

"And I make it look good," she shot back. "Damn hot though. How do you keep from sweating your ass off?"

Loki ran a finger over the stitches in her arm with a light touch. "By not being a weak mortal."

The twitch was involuntary. Darcy tightened her hand into a fist and released it, the resurrected tension leaving as well. "Don't do that, you'll make me sober up."

He titled his head with interest. "What do you need to be drunk for?"

Screw sipping. Darcy downed a quarter of her drink as soon as the bartender left. "Let's make a shorter list. What do I not need to be drunk for? I've been thinking seriously about becoming an alcoholic."

"Oh?" Loki set his glass down to be refilled. "And what is stopping you?"

"Remembering that Tony Stark used to be crazier before the imprisoned in a cave thing. Not to mention it turned my dad into an asshole."

"Mm," he nodded in agreement. "That would be an unwise decision on your part."

"You don't like me when I'm crazy?" she asked, grinning.

"I don't like you at all."

"You being here says otherwise."

"I was merely curious. You could say that is my one weakness - the need to satisfy my own curiosity."

"Nah, you just like to poke things just because you can." Darcy thumbed off a bit of salt from the rim of her drink and licked it off; the acrid taste focused her mind. "Which leaves one very interesting question."

Loki turned his left hip into the bar to face her. The small space separating their bodies was filled with more heat and madness than the dance floor. Loki and Darcy stared at one another - or rather stared down. Neither frowned, smirked, or blinked. Darcy wondered if she was imagining the Thing - a variation on It. Maye the Thing was just mental, or maybe he was messing with her again.

Darcy licked more salt off of her thumb. The involuntary twitch was all him that time; his eyes betrayed him.

"The others have a theory."

"Oh? About what?"

"About you."

The cruel sliver of his smile brought on memories of a mad man dancing with knives and blood. "I'm sure they have many theories about me."

"They think the reason you didn't ditch me after we got out of the tower is because you do in fact like me," she said and continued when he laughed. "And that you've been interested in me for a while."

"And what do you believe, Darcy Lewis?"

Judging by the way Loki further shrank that space between them, he was trying to intimidate her. Darcy narrowed her eyes and looked at him more closely, at his body language. No, he was using his body as a distraction, taking advantage of the physical link between them.

"I don't think it matters what they think, or if they're even right," she said with a shrug and finished her drink. "I don't think we need to complicate things. I'd like to start to uncomplicate things. First thing: is there anything here that has been complicated? If that makes any sense. Fuck, I'm rambling."

Loki waved off the bartender when he returned to give her a new drink. Probably a good idea.

"First thing," he said with a touch of mockery. "Breathe. Second, you think far too much."

"Oh that is definitely the pot calling the kettle black."

Loki went on in order to get his grin under control. "I will admit to liking you when there is considerably less thinking involved."

Darcy stared at him with her mouth slightly open. "…I have no idea if that's a compliment or not."

"My case in point."

"Are you talking about the kitchen incident?"

Loki smirked. "I am."

Darcy gave a noncommittal grunt and wished there was a full drink in her hand, or something for her hands to fiddle with at the very least. "So you like me when I'm making poor decisions."

Loki laughed, the real unicorn sort of laugh she had managed to surprise out of him that day. "You believe me to be a poor life decision?"

"Am I wrong?"

He shook his head, still grinning. "No."

"To be fair, that applies to me too. Getting involved with a mortal like me is a really dumb thing for you to do."

"I've been involved with mortals before," Loki said with a raised brow. "Tell me, why you are different?"

Darcy was the one to laugh at that. "Are you kidding? There's only one Darcy Lewis, my friend. Don't act like you haven't noticed."

"You have caught me there," he admitted.

"Is it just me," Darcy began. "Or is it weird that it's been like twenty minutes and we haven't screamed at each other once?"

"There are other breeds of screaming better suited to us," Loki said. "That we can both agree on, yes?"

Darcy thought on that for a moment and then nodded. "That doesn't mean I won't scream at you for being a shithead if you deserve it."

"And so you admit to not being adverse to my presence." He did not phrase it as a question. Whether that was   just Loki's nature or if he disliked the possibility of a negative answer was up in the air.

"And so you admit to not minding when I call you a shithead." Darcy could play the game too.

From the way he chuckled and let his hand brush hers when he moved, she suspected that was an unspoken reason why Loki was paying attention to her at all. Maybe the others were right, at least to a degree; maybe Loki had seen something he liked in her way before the tower had been attacked. Perhaps his curiosity had been piqued.

Now Darcy had her own reason to be curious. If they were to officially recognize It and the Thing and not stop anything from happening between them…what would that look like? What would life be like with him around and her not constantly wanting to staple his mouth shut?

"You are staring awfully hard at me," Loki pointed out, and brushed away a lock of hair resting on her shoulder. "I thought you were going to work on that pesky habit of thinking too much?"

Darcy grinned, shook her head, and looked over the mass of people still moving on the dance floor. For a while there she had forgotten where they were. The song playing was a variation of one often played on her iPod and made her smile.

"All right. I'll play," Darcy said and stopped leaning on the bar. "Dance with me."

Loki laughed, believing that she was joking. "What?"

"This is me not thinking."

He looked at the people on the dance floor, doing things he had probably never seen before and appearing completely foolish. The lines of his lips and brows certainly suggested what he thought about the idea.

"You're not seriously suggesting - "

Darcy upped her strategy. Stretching on her toes and pulling Loki down by the neck, she kissed him. It was simple, but lingering and not without suggestion.

"One of the best qualities of humanity is the ability to use music to get away from everything, to let everything go. If you want me to stop thinking, this is how you do it," Darcy murmured into his ear. "So stop thinking, shut up, and dance with me."

Darcy did not wait for an answer. She took his hand, wrapping her fingers around his, and pulled. The stubbornness gave in. Loki let her pull him on to the dance floor.

"Don't tell me the Vikings didn't have some awesome drum circles. Same concept," she hollered over the music. "Like I said, don't think. Just move."

Darcy noticed a completely blitzed Jane dancing with Thor, who was giving a valiant effort at Midgardian dancing. She had to point and laugh just a little.

"Just not like that."

The DJ intensified the beat and accompaniment, giving it that hard, fast edge that demanded the body move. Darcy fell under the spell and joined her fellow beat slaves in working out the last of the demons. She could holler and scream lyrics without fear of anyone caring, whip her hair and hips around, pump her arms in the air, and jump as much as she wanted. Darcy could happily dance until her body gave out.

Loki adapting to modern dancing was not as much of an issue as previously thought, though he did cheat just a little. He moved well enough when using Darcy as his focus; she couldn't say that she minded having his hands on her or his body close. The solid feel of him underneath the material of his clothing was addictive. Moving as one and giving up all thought to why or how was exhilaratingly intimate, more so than hate-fueled sex. Even when the track swung into something with a more celebratory anthem feel, their connection was effortless. They learned each other's cues, and felt no fear or doubt when holding a gaze; she even trusted him when he tried some fancier moves that involved spinning her around. The more comfortable he became, the more natural the flow between them.

They were having fun together, and learning subtle things that conversation would never reveal. Like how Loki tried not to smile too much when she laughed from dizzyness, or that Darcy found that smile incredibly attractive. Never in her weirdest dreams had Darcy thought she would be dancing or enjoying being around Loki in any capacity… or that the same might be true for him. The crazy notion was appealing. Maybe there really was some merit to not thinking and just doing.

Which was probably why Darcy let him lead her off the dance floor and away from the party, his hand feeling hot around her own. If she hadn't been smiling and looking at least partially sober, the inquisitive looks from everyone except Natasha would likely have turned into more than one physical altercation. The only physical anything either was interested in was with one another.

"I feel like a teenager sneaking upstairs to neck," Darcy laughed and pushed her sweaty hair out of her face as he pulled her along the hallways. "Actually that's exactly what we're doing, isn't it?"

Loki hit the call button for the elevator and gave her a look that clearly said he was humoring her. "If you want to call it that."

"Is this you not thinking?" she asked, motioning between them and followed him through the open doors.

"Yes and no," Loki hit the button for his floor. "I thought about this enough that further rumination is unnecessary."

One could read into that quite a bit, good or bad, but she chose to acknowledge the tingly feeling the words inspired. The movement of the elevator probably had a small part in that as well.

"Sounds like we've got a fun night ahead of us."

Loki mirrored her smirk and flicked his eyes over her. "You look like a woman with a particularly interesting idea."

Her smirk only grew. "Maybe." Darcy sidled up to him and took away his personal space. "Depends."

Loki's focus was entirely on her, his hands settling of their own accord on Darcy's hips. "Oh? On what?"

"How's your stamina? And you know I don't mean the run and jump sort of stamina."

"My stamina is excellent when I haven't recently been shot full of holes."

Darcy smiled. "Good." She slammed the side of her fist into the red STOP button. "Feel like leaving Tony a present on the security feed?"

Loki's answering smile was pure wickedness. "I like this side of you."

Darcy wasted no time; she worked at the buttons of his shirt and batted his hands away when he tried getting at her clothing. She pinned his hips to the wall with her own. "You like the commanding side of me even more, don't you?"

His scar-less torso twitched under her greedy touch. Darcy felt the strong thudding of his heartbeat under her lips, and the way it picked up when she quickly defeated trouser button and zipper. Her fingers, hooked just under the waistband, stilled.

"I asked you a question, Loki."

"Yes," he answered, sounding like he was losing an internal battle.

"Do you have any idea how hot that is?" Darcy let him thread his fingers through her hair, but kept her mouth away from his. "Seriously. You could do whatever you wanted with me, and I would probably let you, but you want to give me this power."

"This is definitely me not thinking." Loki choked on a groan when she finally took him in hand.

Darcy rewarded him with a short, but intense kiss and a few strokes. There was plenty for both mouth and hand to play with. She scraped her teeth over his bottom lip and then dropped to her knees. "Tell me this is what you've been thinking about."

His cock throbbed in her hand. Darcy thumbed the slit and moistened the head the bit of clear fluid. The smell of his arousal had her own heartbeat thumping and pumping blood to her groin.

"Something like this," Loki confirmed. The slow lick she paid forced a gasp out of him and turned his eyes glassy and bright with lust. "I thought fucking your mouth, your body, was a perfect fantasy, and yet I find the reality with you surprisingly more rewarding."

"Good answer." Darcy sucked his shaft and spread the mix of saliva and precome into usable lube for stroking. "But you are way too coherent."

"Please," he said through obvious effort to keep his increased breathing on a normal level. "Do as you see fit to remedy that."

She let the heat of her breath tease him as she chuckled. "Just so you know, I swallow. You might want to hold on to something," Darcy said and kept her eyes on his. "Hair pulling is fine, but no pushing without my say so or I bring out the teeth in a bad way. Understood?"

Loki nodded once. "Understood."

Satisfied, Darcy wrapped her lips around the head of his cock and slowly took him in deeper. Mouth, tongue and hand worked in tandem, trying to find any little variation in speed and pressure that made Loki twitch or sigh. As before, he was wonderfully responsive; judging by the encouraging noises, Darcy had a feeling that he liked the eye contact as much as the way the flat of her tongue undulated against the tip on the up stroke.

Loki gathered her hair out of the way, whether to help her out or give an unhindered view of the tight ring of her mouth around him she didn't know, but the increasing tension she felt in his grip spurred her efforts on. Darcy decided she could stay on her knees forever, hard floor or not, as long as the feeling of domination over this crazy, dangerous, infuriatingly sexy bastard never faded. The literal control over life and death when she had held a gun in her hand felt far less appealing in comparison to the spell she could put Loki under. When she pinned his increasingly enthusiastic hips back to the wall, the muscles in his jaw clenched hard enough to make her ears prepare to hear them crack. Was it sadistic of her to feel a thrill?

His body trembled with need that she caused. Darcy stroked him by hand at the base and concentrated her mouth on the end with quicker movements, making sure to focus pressure with lips and tease crevices with tongue. She watched his body language closely, heard the sudden pickup of his breathing. When his grip on her hair threatened to break the strands, Darcy buried Loki in her throat. His cry of release would have made her smirk in the most smug way possible if those muscles were not already preoccupied.

Carefully, she backed off and licked the excess saliva and come from her lips. She did take the opportunity to smirk at him as he sorted his trousers out. After a helping hand up, Darcy hit the button to get the elevator going again.

"You are…quite skilled at that."

Darcy side-eyed him, smugness still in place. "I'll have to practice more; usually it takes longer for speech to come back."

She thumbed a missed spot of him from the corner of her mouth and held his gaze as she licked it away. "Hmm. You taste different."

Loki chuckled and escorted her from the open elevator with a heavy arm around her waist. Did he need the support or was the gesture something else? Darcy decided she would be pleased with either one.

"Do I?"

"Yeah." She tried to pinpoint why as he used his security bracelet to open a door. "Less salty, more…I don't know. Smooth?"

"I'll have to take your word on that." Loki stepped inside and held the door ajar for her.

Loki's rooms - or rather room - was far from what she expected, which made Darcy question what exactly she had expected and why.

Maybe because they were in Stark Tower and Loki was very good at projecting an image. Darcy looked around at the space, at how neat and clean it was, and how the furniture pieces on their own were obviously good quality and expensive despite their simplicity. That was where the niceness ended. One small kitchenette (smaller than her own), one dining table and chair with enough space for one person, one straight-backed armchair, one large bed with the necessities, and one tall, packed bookcase. No art on the walls, no window dressings, zero color beyond neutral earth tones seen on house hunting TV shows. Darcy felt like the place had been staged by a landlord fifteen minutes between being vacated and shown to a potential tenant.

There were two luxuries: the size of the room and the wall that was really a floor-to-ceiling window. Yet both felt like a double-edged sword. The size emphasized the waste of space and lack of evidence that anyone lived in it, and while the view was spectacular it mocked whoever was unfortunate enough to be locked inside. Darcy stood in front of it and watched the city move and breathe, the citizens ignorant of whatever eyes might be observing and resenting the few inches of glass standing in the way of freedom.

Loki made it so easy for her to forget that he was a prisoner. Tony and the Avengers had made sure that he did not have that particular luxury. When Loki came to stand behind her, a solid presence with that strange denseness he shared with Thor, Darcy allowed him to touch her with those hands that had spots of blood that would never come out.

She looked at her own hands, small and weak in comparison when she held one against his open palm. Yet they were just as dirty.

_We've all done what we thought was necessary…_

"You look as though your brain is working out a particularly intriguing puzzle. Shall I allow this over-thinking?"

Darcy could see a ghostly reflection in the glass. Loki's teasing manifested in the curve of his mouth; she could feel it when he pressed against the small amount of skin showing on her neck.

"I never did answer that question."

"Oh? I seem to have forgotten. What is this question that needs answering?"

"The one you asked before."

The slight crease between his brows smoothed out as understanding dawned on him. "Why me?" he quoted.

Darcy nodded and alternated lacing and unlacing their fingers, feeling the difference in texture and was fascinated by the difference between them. "I think I know how to answer it now. But I need to hear your answer too. That's fair, right?"

"Quite fair," he agreed and pulled the bolero off to replace his lips on her neck. "So I ask you, Darcy Lewis, only one of her kind, why me?"

The charm and seduction in his voice made her smile with amusement, and suddenly letting the word-vomity-musings of her heart out was a little easier.

"Because you make me mad as hell. Because we've screamed some shitty, dark, but honest things at each other. Because despite all of that, we both showed up tonight. Because you are beautiful when I make you come and I don't want to pretend anymore that I don't see. There's a possibility that, maybe, you're not the worst thing ever."

Loki undid the low zipper of her dress and peeled the material away. Darcy wasn't sure if the puff of warm air on her skin was in reaction to her words or seeing the particularly nice picture Deirdre had created out of her body in the black and green lingerie and thigh high stockings.

Darcy leaned back to feel the nakedness of his chest against her back, and reached behind to tangle her fingers in that tempting head of hair. There was bonus points for redirecting his focus.

"Say something," Darcy urged.

His hands wandered, pulling her attention in several slow and teasing directions. She gave his hair a tug and coaxed a grin out of him.

"I chose you because you are entertaining; the hours when you are around are less boring and mostly palatable. There is a possibility that I enjoy fighting against and with you. I find that spirit in you to be unpretentious and refreshing. You know who and what I am. You know what that means, and yet you are comfortable being a complete fool; no sane person should want what you want from me."

"And what do I want from you?"

"The same thing that I want from you."

Darcy laughed. "We're both fools then. I think I'm okay with that. Are you?"

"As I said before: curiosity is my greatest weakness."

She turned in his arms and rested her palms under his shirt and against his bony shoulder blades. "Good enough for me. So. Are you going to just stand there ogling and pawing, or are we going to unwrap each other?"

" _Pawing?_ I do not paw."

Darcy smirked and held out her arms. "Come prove it then, Romeo. The girls are waiting and they are very judgy."

Loki leered and accepted the challenge. The kiss was a good start, the way he came in and cradled her head with the lightest touch, stared in her eyes with that unique-to-him look (a cross between smug about what he knew that you didn't, lust for the object of his desire, and a dash of that underlying danger lurking around), and eased his lips over hers. When Darcy recovered from her swoon, she gave herself a mental kick for falling prey to him so easily.

But he turned up the heat and burned all of those thoughts away. That was his trick, making Darcy open up out of need for control and taking advantage of that spark to go in for the kill. Without the madness of rage in her blood, Darcy was no match for the sinful snake of his tongue. He chased her lips when she pulled away and only gave her a brief moment to renew her air supply before he was back and devouring her.

She liked it. Oh, boy, did she ever like it.

Darcy had to nip his lip sharply to get him to back off enough for her to practically rip his shirt all the way off. His self-satisfaction was apparent as he claimed her mouth again. He could be as smug as he wanted, as far as she was concerned, as long as he was naked sooner than later.

"Off," she demanded with what little breath she had to spare in a small reprieve. "Everything. Now."

The button and zipper and on his trousers were way more troublesome than they had been in the elevator. She fully blamed him.

Loki let her struggle while he took his time tracing the seams and edges of her undergarments. He had no trouble with the fastenings of the bra, and gave her time to refuel her lungs in favor of giving her collarbone some torturous attention. When she had him in hand and paid a retaliating stroke, Loki pressed against the silky material between her thighs and flicked his tongue against her nipple.

Darcy could have cried. As it was, she needed his support to stay on her feet and he laughed at the strangled noise she made.

"My turn," his whisper was full of impending damnation for the deeds they promised.

Loki picked her up and laid her down on the bed before she had time to recover from the sudden change in perspective.

"Wow, deja-vu," she mused aloud.

Loki grinned and took a moment to admire the shape and feel of her legs in stockings by running his hands over them. They went up and her panties came down. "I vaguely recall tossing you that time."

Darcy's laugh petered out as she watched him remove the stockings with exaggerated care. His lips traced their way from inner knee to inner thigh. She had a spare moment to admire the soft glow of the city lights on his pale back before that tongue's cleverness forced her eyes closed.

Loki had her writhing and clenching the bedspread above her head soon enough. Clearly they both had been orally gifted. If he hadn't been sucking on her clit at the perfect angle and pressure, she would have been able to share the random witticism with him. They were quite good at shutting one another up too - in the right ways.

He made her come without tongue or finger penetrating, and while it was good he knew there was an unsatisfied need that only he could give her. Darcy lifted herself on her elbows, fully intending to make a quip until she saw the Look in his eyes, now ten times stronger and with his own need to take her showing. With his hair disheveled and the city lights in the background casting nearly all but his eyes in shadow as he stalked up her body, Darcy found she could not take in air.

"Stop."

He obeyed without question. Darcy's heart thudded in her chest and ear drums. Something shifted inside her.

She leaned forward and touched the side of his face with the tips of her fingers, gliding over the jutting cheek bone and down to the strong line of his jaw. Loki's only movement was to turn just enough into her palm to brush his lips over the inside of her wrist.

Darcy swallowed hard and nodded. "Okay."

A simple word, and yet so heavy with things unsaid.

He didn't surge up and attack her mouth like she expected. Loki continued on his measured pace up her body, lightly dragging his skin against hers, and kissed her in the same slow, tantalizing, and all-consuming way he had before.

When he slid inside her, Darcy's head fell back into his hand and air rushed into her lungs and he held her. Loki moved like a quiet sea against a beach - gentle and steady motions.

"Darcy," he sighed against her throat. "Look at me."

She forced her eyes open as much as she could. Loki's gaze enthralled her. The increased intimacy sent her senses soaring. Darcy could feel every twitch and see how it affected him. When she curled a leg over his hip and moved with him, she saw how the new angle felt for him too.

The breath trembled in her lungs. Whatever spell they were weaving together, Darcy did not want to break it for anything.

He must have seen something in her eyes because his control slipped enough to thrust deeper and harder than he meant to. It set off a chain reaction.

Darcy moaned his name.

" _Loki_ ," she said and begged. "Kiss me again, please."

The was more unbridled need in his kiss, more strength in the support of his hand holding her to him, more struggle to keep himself in check. Darcy was not unaffected by his struggle. Every time Loki lost it just a little and gave her a taste of what he was holding back, she clutched at him more, tried to use her own leverage to make that control slip farther away.

When she tilted her hips and caught him on hard upswing right to the sweet spot Darcy cursed, loudly, and was done begging.

"Treat me like you can't break me," she ordered, her voice raw.

There was a shadow of something wild and dark in his answering grin that made her throb around him.

"As my lady desires." Loki shifted and rewarded her with a solid rhythm that was deep and purposeful.

Darcy wrapped both legs around him and braced herself with one hand against the headboard. Loki fed her hunger and raised her higher. She licked the sweat off of his neck and marked the meat of his shoulder with her teeth.

The pain propelled his sounds of pleasure to new heights. Listening and ripping the noise from him tapped into Darcy's primal side. The more she scratched, bit, and pulled without mercy, the harder and faster he fucked her.

She made him come first. Hearing her name shake the room and seeing pure, blissful agony in every tendon and line was enough to send her into her own state of euphoria. Time slowed. Her skin prickled and picked up every sensation, from the slide of his body against every inch of hers to the softness of the bedspread conforming to every curve. Her veins pulsed with heat and made her lips, toes, and fingers tingle. Oxygen seemed unnecessary. The pulsing increased and brought time crashing back, and suddenly Darcy was overcome.

She might have passed out for a few seconds, or else her body had temporarily shut down from over-stimulation. When the world came back into focus, Loki's arms were holding her close and her head was resting comfortably on his shoulder.

Darcy listened to their lungs fight for air. The emptiness of the room made the noise bounce off the walls.

"Well that was…"

She couldn't think of anything worthy to finish the sentence with.

Loki chuckled and ran his thumb back and forth over the curve of her waist. "It was indeed."

"Did I pass out?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted with some amusement. "I was having a bit of trouble myself towards the end there."

Darcy smirked. "Oh, trust me. I noticed." Unable to stop touching him, she flicked away a lock of hair that was falling into his face. Something dark on Loki's shoulder caught her attention and Darcy sat up in alarm.

"Holy shit, did I do that?"

Puzzled, Loki tried to look at what Darcy was so fixated on. "Do what? This?" He brushed his fingers over a distinctly mouth-shaped bruise that was already shifting to a mottled green color. "Oh yes. I will remember that part quite fondly."

She resumed playing with his hair. "So you really do like it when I…do that sort of thing."

Loki pulled her down against him. "I don't understand how you could possibly have any doubt."

"Just making sure. We shouldn't do anything that either of us doesn't like," she pointed out, and grinned when she felt him stirring against her thigh. "Someone is certainly having some tasty thoughts."

"I have a naked woman in my arms, what else would you expect?" Loki asked, his lips becoming interested in her neck again.

Darcy leaned her head back to give him some more real estate. "True, but already?"

"I meant what I said about stamina," he murmured and smiled against her skin. "And what I've always said about being better than humans."

"I think I can definitely let that jibe slide." Darcy could not hide her own smile when Loki rolled onto his back with her on top. "I'm pretty much convinced that alien sex is the best thing ever."

"In that case," he purred and ground their hips together. "I shall endeavor to keep you persuaded to the right side of the cause."

Darcy dug a thumb into the fading bruise and smirked when Loki hissed with growing lust. "Less talking. More persuading."

 

The sun woke Darcy with a gentle warmth on the face. The only thing that made her lizard brain not block the offense out with a pillow over her head was the sound and smell of bacon cooking. Remembering whose bed she was in, Darcy sat up and squinted against the morning light.

_Is Loki cooking…?_

Curiosity (and the siren call of delicious breakfast meat) got the best of her. Her body complained when she moved and almost convinced her to collapse back on the bed.

Darcy stood with a groan and rubbed out a shoulder kink. "Next time you're in the mood for marathon sex, remind me to stretch first," she grumbled and plodded to the tiny bathroom. "It'll be like a secret message and we'll weird everyone out."

"…How awake are you really?"

Darcy grunted and closed the door.

After the morning necessities had been taken care of, she took stock of all the interesting bruises and marks the previous evening had left her with. The variety and number was quite impressive. Even if a week in the future her skin would look diseased, she kind of liked the little reminders of their depravity.

She stole a hair binder from his medicine cabinet and twisted her messy morning bedhead into an updo that was passable to be seen in public. Coming out of the bathroom, she had a perfect vantage point to see Loki in the kitchenette, wearing only a pair of formfitting underwear while pushing eggs around in a hot skillet. A long look was taken for the perfect mental image to store in her brain.

_That goes in the butt bank._

Her morning suddenly looking brighter, Darcy bypassed her clothes on the floor and raided Loki's closet. There wasn't much, but she did find a very fine linen tunic in a beautiful olive green color that would work perfectly. Either he would hate that she was audacious enough to wear his clothes without permission, or he would love it. Win, win in Darcy's mind.

The tunic was huge on her, but very comfortable. His arms were at least a hand's span longer than her own, but that was nothing that a rolling up to the elbow wouldn't solve. Darcy entered the kitchenette and was pleased to see lingering interest in Loki's double-take.

"Are you always so domestic in the morning?" she asked and stole a chunk of scrambled egg out of the skillet.

"If you are referring to my ability to cook, then yes. Even a man such as myself requires food." Loki transferred the eggs to two plates and handed her a fork. "I am afraid that I cannot join you at the table, however. Guests were not considered in the décor plans."

"It's cool, I'm fine here. I don't think I've eaten breakfast at a table in over a year." Darcy hoisted herself onto the small counter and bit into a strip of bacon. "Mmm. No wonder you were taking shots at Jane's food. Is this seasoned? What else can you cook?"

Loki smirked. "Yes. You would be surprised at what I've managed to make edible out of the supplies available."

"Could you teach me?" Darcy asked. "I'm pretty much reduced to things in boxes or microwavable plastic trays."

Loki considered the possibilities as he chewed. "Perhaps," he decided. "If these lesson take place at your apartment. That will require you to convince the band of heroes that I am not a flight risk."

"Ooh. We're going straight for the trust issues and boundary-testing this morning, eh? Well played."

Loki grinned. "I merely take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves. Most would call that progressive thinking."

Darcy snorted. "If I knew where my phone was, I would look up 'opportunistic' because I'm pretty sure that's the definition. Throwing you into the context, 'conniving' is the perfect synonym which won't win you or me any points."

He shrugged and washed his empty plate in the sink. How he consumed so much food so quickly without being gross boggled Darcy's mind. She took her time. Breakfast food was rarely a part of her daily life.

"You are clever in your own right. I'm sure you will think of something."

"True, but that doesn't answer the real question."

"Which is?"

Darcy rested the plate in her lap and stared at him. "Are you flight risk?"

He laughed, surprising her. "That's the wrong question."

"Loki." She frowned and put a bit of her commanding voice in the tone. "Be serious."

"I am being perfectly serious." Loki pulled the plate away, set it to the side, and insinuated himself between her knees. His hands, warm from the tap water, slid under the tunic to rest against the outsides of her thighs. "There is actually a series of questions. You should be asking me if I will lie to you. Before that you need to ask yourself if you know the answer already. Then you may wonder if you trust your own judgment. Perhaps the golden question is whether you trust me."

Darcy examined his face, looking for anything that would belay some insight into what was going on in his mind. Then she realized he actually was speaking his mind.

"I do trust my own judgment."

He gave an approving nod. "A wise choice."

"Do I trust _you_?" Darcy sighed. Her mind went over everything she knew about him, old information and new information and the difference between the two.

"No," she decided. "I don't believe that's a question with a black or white answer. I'm in the grey area - I trust you in certain aspects, and know I shouldn't trust you in others. I'll have to be an adult and trust myself first."

Loki smiled. "That is the correct answer."

"Good. Give me my eggs back."

He handed them back, but not before stealing half of what was left just because he could. Darcy allowed it only because he had been the one to cook the meal.

"So, _are_ you a flight risk?"

Loki laughed and merely grinned. Not grinning back was difficult; she gave up trying.

"Would you come back?" she asked.

"If I chose to leave when given an opportunity," he said and tilted his head in curiosity. "Would you want me to come back?"

"Yes. I could church it up with any number of reasons, but the simple truth of it is yes."

From the way his brow knitted just the slightest and the mouth quirk, Darcy could tell the cogs were turning.

"Interesting."

"That's right, I can be all mysterious and whatever too," she said and finished her food with a smirk. "What time is it?"

"…Is that a trick question?"

Darcy rolled her eyes. "No, I'm serious. I should check up on Jane and see if anyone is still alive."

"Why not stay? While he is a bumbling idiot, Thor has much experience with the morning after a hard night of drinking. Dr. Foster will be fine without you."

Darcy paused. "Are you persuading or pouting?"

"I do not pout," Loki scoffed.

"I get the feeling that's a lie and you don't even know it," she said with amusement and nudged him. "Seriously though, she came and checked up on me and I should return the favor. And as much as I would love to spend the day in bed with you, my cooch needs some recovery time."

With reluctance, Loki moved and let her hop down from the counter. While he cleaned up, Darcy picked up her clothes from the floor. She repurposed a belt and the boots for her new outfit and worked the bra on - the ladies could not go an entire day without some support. As for the other bits, well…

Darcy made the bed and was just finishing up adjusting a pillow when Loki presented her with a travel mug of what smelled like tea.

"I have no coffee," he said as the only explanation, and she thought he might be insinuating that it was for Jane.

She smiled and stretched up to kiss his cheek. "Thank you. What are you going to do?"

Loki shrugged a shoulder. "I will be around."

Darcy was happy with that.

Before the door to his room closed, she heard him shout, "I want my clothes back!"

She laughed using her best impression of him and sauntered down the hall feeling light-hearted and the air in interesting places.

Sooner or later, Loki would find the little expensive black gift she had left under his pillow. Sooner or later, they would find themselves caught up in a dance of words and needs all over again.

Life was taking an unexpected exit out of 'decent' and exploring the open road.

Yeah, Darcy could live with that. Who wouldn't love a spontaneous road trip with a space alien?

 


End file.
